ECN’s major partner, Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt 57357 (CCHE) committed to hosting Meti Ayele and Yohannes Alemayehu, both prominent pharmacists based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for a month-long training series pertaining to chemotherapy preparation. Both pharmacists were recommended to CCHE by the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy, noting the prime location of CCHE as well as its excellence in clinical pharmacy training.

The training was funded by the International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research (INCTR). Ms. Ayele and Mr. Alemayehu have both graduated from pharmacy school and are in the midst of working on their respective post-graduate degrees. Both are employees of Black Lion Hospital, located in Addis Ababa and known as Ethiopia’s only cancer referral center. This institution aspires to become a center of excellence comparable to CCHE in Ethiopia and solicits the support of several Ethiopian governmental institutions, many non-governmental organizations and international partners, and universities, including Georgetown University.

For Mr. Ayele, she was particularly thrilled to have had training in the application of benchmark practices concerning chemotherapy preparation and distribution. She gave much praise to the hospitals success in monitoring the effects of medication on the patients as well as the attention paid to documenting each case and educating the families of patients about the disease and its treatment. Also noted was the efficiency in communication amongst staff as to the progress and treatment of the patients.

Similarly, Mr. Alemayehu expressed his deep gratitude for his experience and stated that he promised that CCHE would not be disappointed with their renovated commitment to healthcare in Ethiopia, based on their thorough experience in the care of the clinical pharmacy department at CCHE.

Both ECN and CCHE share the principle of promoting oncology education initiatives as a means of distinguishing themselves as a center of excellence. In promoting regional education initiatives of this nature, CCHE, in collaboration with its trainees and partners, will continue to improve the cancer survival rates and treatment tactics in Egypt and beyond.

 

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