If he could communicate with his computer between his kitchen and his living room, why couldn’t he communicate between Canada and Botswana?
Turns out it could, and on the cheap. That’s how Dr. Allan Okrainec in Toronto teaches Laparoscopic (or ‘keyhole’) surgery to doctors in Gaborone .
Laparoscopic surgery involves inserting a microscopic camera and ultra-slim instruments into the patient through tiny incisions, avoiding the large cuts associated with traditional open surgeries. When appropriate it is the procedure of choice because it necessitates less cutting, faster recovery times and lower risk of transmission of diseases such as AIDS, which affects almost a quarter of the 1.7 million people living in Botswana.
Dr. Okrainec works weekly with the African doctors, all skilled surgeons in areas including urology and gynecology, for two months or more than he will visit Gaborone to conduct an internationally recognized training course called Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery.
Where in the past the failure rate was high after quick on-site tutelage, now, with more careful preparation the doctors are expect to have a much higher success rate.
The Globe and Mail story is here: This surgery school operates on the cheap.
