Urogynae Workshop, Lilongwe, Malawi - February 2025
Brendan Berry and Mayur Gami accompanied Suzie Venn, Tamsin Greenwell and 
Nikesh Thiruchelvam to Malawi in February as part of their TUF, and Cambridge Global Health Partnership, Fellowships. By the end of their visit, Malawian colleagues had successfully developed competence in performing basic urodynamics, urethral bulking, rectus fascial slings and clam cystoplasty, marking significant progress, However, long-term sustainability depended on the continued identification and management of appropriate patients, as well as the ability of local surgeons to integrate these newly learnt techniques into their already demanding workloads.
Paediatric surgery workshop, Lilongwe, Malawi - January 2025
Ram Subramaniam returned from another hypospadias workshop in Lilongwe having continued to help mentor Charles Mabedi and Amaryllis Mapurisa in both simple and complex uro-genital surgery. Ram's report demonstrates just how far our colleagues in Malawi have come over the last three years with fairly intense mentoring, and how, apart from the most complex cases are largely self-reliant in managing this incredibly important aspect of their practice.
COSECSA FCS exams, Harare, Zimbabwe - December 2024
Mary Brown, Steve Payne and Suzie Venn travelled to Harare, Zimbabwe, for the COSECSA FCS (Fellowship) clinical exams. After arriving from different points on the globe, there was a formal briefing of the purpose of the exams and a standard setting meeting of an international group of examiners from 7 countries, before the exam the following day. Although there were no clinical cases, the exam covered a substantial amount of the COSECSA urology syllabus. All 5 candidates were successful and Nakavizya Janet Nshinka, from Ndola, won the gold medal for the best overall performance in the written and clinical tests. Many congratulations to her and all of the candidates presenting for this prestigious award.
Reconstructive workshop at KCMC, Moshi, Tanzania - November 2024
Paul Anderson and Suzie Venn travelled to KCMC to help mentor, and upskill the local team in complex posterir urethral surgery as well as less complicated anterior urethral reconstruction. 15 cases, including a very complex posterior urethral injury presenting with a fistula in the thigh, were undertaken in the week.
First Emergency Urology Simulation Bootcamp - Hawassa, Ethiopia - November 2024
Tilaneh Leyeh, together wth Shekhar Biyani, organised a simulation bootcamp 
about urological emergencies for general surgical residents at HUCSH at the end of the stone workshop. Together with two local colleagues, two consultants from the Urological Society of Ethiopia (USE) and four UK urologists, they presented a comprehensive programme of knowledge-based teaching and practical simulation of the management of ureteric injuries, testicular torsion, priapism and penile fracture. It is hoped that this course may become endorsed by COSECSA to help disseminate good urological practice to the many general surgeons who are seeing urological patients in their country's emergency setting.
First Urolink percutaneous stone surgery workshop at HUCSH, Hawassa, Ethiopia - November 2024
Will Finch and Matt Trail made their frist visit to Hawassa to build the experience of the local team in PCNL, and endoscopic management of upper tract stone disease. Over four days, with Graham Watson's, Shekhar Biyani's and Steve Payne's help, they undertook 11 percutaneous procedures, of differing levels of complexity, resulting in complete success for 9 patients. This report also outlines how mid and early years consultants can help in Urolink projects You can read Will and Matt's views by clicking on their names!.
Scoping visit to St. Paul's Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - November 2024
Steve Payne visited St.Paul's Hospital In Addis Ababa at the invitation of Prof. Masresha Solomon, the current unit head. Masresha outlined the situation since funding from the Susan Thompson Buffet Foundation was withdrawn in 2020, and the effect this had on the provision of specialist surgical services, and especially urology. St. Paul's has a big department and a lot of residents but would like help with mentoring in endoscopic upper tract stone surgery and posterior urethroplasty. Addis is a vibrant city with a really good travel hub which could be an ideal stop off point for Urolink teams journeying through East Africa.
1st UROLAP Workshop, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana, September 2024
Johann Boaz travelled to Accra as part of his TUF Urolink Fellowship accompanied by Zeeshan Aslam, from Aberdeen, Elsie Mensah, from Guys Hospital, and Ali Thwaini, from the UAE. The team set about a a week-long, intense, hands-on workshop at this first visit, which is to be followed by workshops running every 6-12 months to consolidate until the unit is independent. Johann gained an enormous amount from this visit, learned just how different training and practice can be in LMICs and how they differ from his experiences training in London.
First percutaneous stone surgery workshop at KCMC, Moshi, Tanzania - July 2024
Danielle Whiting spent her TUF Fellowship at KCMC as part of the first percutaneous nephrolithotomy workshop, between 1st and 12th July 2024. Dani emphasises the difficulties there were in bringing a higher tech procedure into an LMIC healthcare environment, and the clinical challenges that are awaiting their application. She also experienced, in the raw, the differences between what we all expect within the NHS and what is available in circumstances that are even more resource depleted. Dani’s report is a great example of the benefits of a TUF fellowship to urologists at the beginning of their careers.
Scoping visit to Ndola Teaching Hospital in Ndola, Zambia - April 2024
Nick campaign made a scoping visit to Ndola in the Copperbelt region of northern Zambia. Together with Simon Mukosai and Dr Mumba Chalwe, Nick was able to evaluate the needs, the capabilities and the future requirements of the Ndola Teaching Hospital (NTH). He left with very positive impressions of how Urolink could assist in the development of this centre due to the dynamism and positive attitudes of both the consultants leading the service, and the enthusiasm of the younger surgeons who were delivering the service there. This has led to the adoption of Ndola as another Urolinked centre!
Endoscopic stone surgery visit to HUCSH in Hawassa - April 2024
This visit was made in conjunction with Urolink by Dr Pedro Campillo (Hospital Universitario del Vinalopo, Elche, Alicante, Spain) to bring them up to speed with minimally invasive stone surgery. Despite the difficulties with getting the CT arm & equipment that we normally expect for minimally-invasive stone surgery, a huge amount was accomplished. During 13 theatre sessions over 3 weeks, 14 PCNL procedures and 13 ureteroscopies were performed.
Scoping visit to Mengo Hospital Kamplala, Uganda - March 2024
Shekhar Biyani travelled with the Friends of Mengo Hospital Committee, a group based around the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust (LTHT) to Mengo Hospital, a faith-based hospital in Uganda's capital Kampala. Shekhar and his colleagues made great progress - solid discussions with a very receptive management team and medical director about provision of a urological service - starting with employment of a Consultant Urologist to provide basic endoscopic surgery.
Urogynaecology Workshop, Lilongwe - February 2024
Suzie Venn, Tamsin Greenwell and Nikesh Thiruchelvam visited Charles Mabedi and colleagues, with UK trainees Ala’a Sharaf and Wilson To, to carry out the first planned Urogyne workshop in Lilongwe. Over 5 days, a series of activities, formal teaching, operating and setting up of a urodynamics machine were carried out. After the visit there are plans to hold monthly urogynae MDTs between the UK and Malawi, and the team plan to revisit KCH in a year's time.
Rory Ferguson's KCMC Teaching Fellowship at KCMC, Moshi Tanzania - February 2024
Katie Brodie's KCMC Teaching Fellowship at KCMC, Moshi Tanzania - February 2024
Katie Brodie and Rory Ferguson made trips to KCMC with Suzie Venn to help develop both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and to experience the differences there are in working in a low-low-middle income healthcare environment. They also soaked up some of the cultural experience offered during TUF fellowships.
COSECSA FCS Examinations , Addis Ababa - December 2023
Suzie Venn and Mary Brown attended the COSECSA Fellowship exams in Addis Ababa in December. 13 candidates passed the exam and Linda Kayange, from Lilongwe, Malawi was awarded the gold medal for the best performing entrant.
14th Lester Eshleman Reconstructive Workshop, in KCMC, Moshi, Tanzania - November 2023
Wilson To's KCMC Teaching Fellowship at KCMC, Moshi Tanzania - November 2023
Paul Anderson, Ram Subramaniam, David Dickerson, Steve Payne and Suzie Venn travelling with TUF/Urolink fellow Wilson To, to the 14th Lester Eshleman Workshop, in KCMC Tanzania, where the workshop's main focus was on adult and paediatric reconstruction. This normally biennial event had not happened for 4 years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and was, sadly, overshadowed by the very sudden death of Professor Kien Alfred Mteta during the week.
Teaching experience in KCMC, Moshi, Tanzania - May 2023
Read Matt Trail's visit report to KCMC, generously funded by TUF as part of Matt's 2022 Fellowship with the charity. Matt's enthusiasm to teach as part of this visit, as well as his experiences during clinical, and cultural, exposure are evident. He also took the opportunity of taking in some of the beauty of Tanzania in the foothills of mount Kilimanjaro. A great exemplar of the benefits TUF is bringing to global urology, by exciting trainees to experience the provision of help in healthcare environments in low, and low-middle, income countries.
Scoping visit to four centres in Hanoi, Vietnam - May 2023
Maxine Tran, Hannah Warren, Dimitrios Volanis, Darrell Allen and Angeline Shoniwa travelled to Hanoi Vietnam in May 2023 courtesy of the UCL Global Engagement Fund. This preliminary visit was successful in establishing links between UK Urology and four major urological centres, VietDuc, HMU, Bach Mai and National Cancer Hospitals. Although technologically more advanced than many centres in sub-Sharan Africa, there are many differences in care provision and methods of training that could be helped by Urolink.
UroGynae scoping visit to Lilongwe - April 2023
Suzie Venn, Nikesh Thiruchelvam and Tamsin Greenwell visited KCH and the Freedom from Fistula Hospital in Lilongwe to scope out how Urolink could help colleagues improve the situation regarding women's health in Malawi. Although the focus has previously been on the management of obstetric fistula, it is now recognised that there is a large unmet need for successful treatment of female urinary incontinence. The team, including gynaecologists Priscilla Phiri-Mwanza and Ennet Chipungu, and Charles Mabedi, have come up with a four-point plan to help education, training and skills to help with incontinence problems for women in Malawi.
Urology Bootcamp 22 to Kisiizi Hospital, Uganda
Simon Huf, one of the 2022 TUF Fellows, spent some time in Kisiizi, Uganda, helping the local surgeons improve their skills with endoscopic prostatic surgery. Simon's report demonstrates how important basic infrastructure, such as funding and electricity, are in rural locations and how the local charity has helped overcome these constraints. Simon's report also demonstrates, first hand, the importance of a motivated local champion such as Dr. Paul, as well as showing how frugal innovation is used on a continual basis to maintain irrigant supplies, and how local carpenters constructed an endoscopic stack!
John F Kennedy Medical Centre (JFKMC), Monrovia, Liberia - September 2022
Zeeshan Aslam spent 6 days understanding the overall healthcare system in post-conflict Liberia, as well as supporting endoscopic urological training and strengthening surgical services at the John F Kennedy Medical Centre (JFKMC) . Visits were also made to the Redemption Hospital, the only fully public sector hospital, and the Liberian office of the WHO, where he discussed sustainable surgical care and universal health coverage (UHC) as part of the RCSEd Faculty of Remote, Rural and Humanitarian Healthcare (FRRHH) initiative. Strong foundations for establishing a urological training programme were laid with Dr Ayun Cassel, the only fellowship-qualified urologist in Liberia.
Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi, Paediatric "Camp" - February/March 2023
Ram Subramaniam and Steve Payne joined Charles Mabedi and his paediatric surgical colleague Amarylis Mapurisa for the first pure paediatric surgical camp for Urolink. The trip was supported by Bip Nandi, Amarylis's colleague. Over four days, a large variety of hypospadiac abnormalities were corrected together with a whole variety of disorders of sexual differentiation. There was so much work that a further camp is already being contemplated for later this year.
Scoping visit to Black Lion Hospital, Addis Ababa - February 2023
Ram Subramaniam and Steve Payne carried out a scoping visit to meet with the paediatric surgeons at the Black Lion Hospital in Addis with a view to a formal link. The meeting with Dr Woubedel Kiflu and Prof Miliard Derbew was extremely warm and productive, and a formal link seems highly likely to follow. A joint workshop is being considered in Addis for March 2024.
Reconstructive workshop, Hawassa, Ethiopia - February 2023
Paul Anderson, David Dickerson and Steve Payne returned to Hawassa for their fourth reconstructive camp in Hawassa in February. This was a successful camp with a large number of urethral reconstructions being done by the much expanded "home team" of Getch, Tilaneh and Tizazu. There were, however, a number of personal and logistic issues that beset our travellers. Problems with baggage management and "travellers tummy" confirmed that there are many difficulties facing people working out of the UK!
TPBx workshop, Lusaka, Zambia - November 2022
Nishant Bedi travelled to Zambia with Shekhar Biyani and ran a workshopteaching trans-perineal prostatic biopsy in Lusaka as his 2021TUF/Urolink Travelling Fellowship. Nish describes how to go about setting up training for a new service in a completely different healthcare environment, and has sound advice for other senior trainees contemplating something similar in the future.
COSECSA Examinations, Windhoek, Namibia - December 2022
Suzie Venn travelled to Windhoek to examine in the COSESCA Urology Fellowship exams. This was the first face-to-face set of exams since 2019, had a large cohort of candidates, the majority of whom successfully passed the exam.
Reconstruction "Camp", Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi - June 2022
Paul Anderson, Steve Payne and Suzie Venn visited Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) to help Charles Mabedi with complex posterior urethroplasty, and a number of other reconstructive issues. KCH is a large hospital in a country with Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and has a massive patient load. There are plans to increase the urology department's activity.