Erasmus Medical Center’s Cancer Institute will support Jimma University Medical Center (JUMC) to establish and strengthen oncology and radiotherapy services at its hospital.
ROTTERDAM–Erasmus Medical Center and the Ethiopian Jimma University Medical Center have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish collaboration on cancer care.
Erasmus Medical Center’s Prof. Incrocci, Deputy Head of the department of Radiation Oncology, and Dr. Essayas Gudina, Chief Clinical and Academic Director of Jimma University Medical Center (JUMC) signed the MoU in Ethiopia on 1 June 2018.
There is only one radiotherapy center in Ethiopia at Tikur Anbessa (Black Lion) Hospital, located in the capital Addis Ababa, serving a population of 100 million. The Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health has recently decided to expand the radiotherapy service to five other academic centers across the country; JUMC being one of these centers. The installation of a linear accelerator will start shortly.
JUMC, an affiliate of Jimma University under Jimma University Specialized Hospital, is one of the oldest hospitals in southwest Ethiopia in the city of Jimma, some 350km from the capital Addis Ababa. It is a recognized international center of excellence for care, clinical teaching and health research. It has 800 beds and a catchment population of over 15 million people. It has no experience with cancer care or radiotherapy.
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Therefore, Erasmus Medical Center’s department of Radiation Oncology will provide advice and consultancy on the radiotherapy facilities, offer training to radiation oncology staff, and provide skilled personnel to start cancer treatment at JUMC.
Through the MoU, the parties have agreed to pursue the development of collaborative teaching projects in the field of radiation oncology, to exchange technology intelligence and instructors, experts and scholars for lecturing, as well as develop academic collaboration.
Source: Erasmus Medical Center