Dear friends,

It is for me the 7th time, for Tom the 9th in the CHUK in Kigali. But for me, despite of so many missions carried out, it is the most positive of all. Last time in October, we found the new emergency room in the CHUK, a megalomaniac project with insufficient personnel, organisation and means... But there is more than hope. The neurosurgery department is housed in the emergency room and Dr Muneza is doing good things. I remember the first times: many neurotraumata, no CT scan throughout Rwanda and no neurosurgeon. There are more doctors taking care of the patients.

The waiting times of the patients for the surgeons are much shorter, which is more to our liking because the patients receive better care; but still not sufficiently quickly in our opinion. Here they say, Dries, come out of the plane, you are in Africa. A child with an acute abdomen we would like to see treated as quickly as possible.

Our contribution in the emergency room consisted for a great part of administering anaesthetics to patients, adults and children, with displaced fractures, in order to be able to reduce them without pain and put them in plaster.

Much hope, why? Some young anaesthetists received an extra training during some years in Belgium and in France, and these people are the key people in the acute services, they want to continue their work in Rwanda to make the difference for their own people.

Share knowledge is this so important? Absolutely. Why? An example. When discussing some cases, we exchange some important websites, for example "Up to date", a website that literally gives updates in medicine by many experts. Thanks to our password, they get access to the same information as we. For example, a tetanus patient in the CHUK received the same care and medication as anywhere in the Western world. And this not thanks to our drugs by thanks to shared knowledge, they are able to provide optimal care by themselves. This is a joy for them and for us.

So also this year, there was a greater enthusiasm and presence than ever in our lessons. This is thanks to the driving power and organisation by Dr Jean Bosco, who for us is the big shining figure of this mission. During these lessons, there are always pleasant and constructive discussions on the European and African approaches to the emergency medicine.

Conclusion: a hopeful and positive mission.