The first three days took place at the 3rd Park Hospital-3rd Parklands Avenue, Parklands, Nairobi Kenya. Friday and Saturday at the ACK Mount Kenya Hospital Kerugoya, Kenya.

The course went quite well. Teaching by Yamal Patel end Raj Dodia and Emmanuel Nzau was very practical and of high standard. Teaching by Bruno van Herendael was theoretical and has to improve. The teaching by Charles Muriuki was theoretical and can be improved. Teaching by both Mildred Obhiambo and Joseph Munyao was very practical with hands on teaching on instruments brought into the lecture room. The video transmissions from the theatre were technically perfect as were the audiovisual facilities in the lecture room. The hands-on facilities (four pelvi-trainers and a fifth Mangeshikar) are standard but can be improved.

On day four in the afternoon the theoretical exam on 100 MCQ’s was taken by the participants of Zanzibar, two gynaecologists, two nurses and two anaesthetists. All gynaecologists also the non-Zanzibar participants did pass however the two theatre nurses and the two anaesthetists did fail.

On Thursday evening a meeting took place between ISGE, Emmanuel Nzau-Ngoma and Bruno J van Herendael and Yamal Patel and Joseph Njagi representing both PASE and KESES.

• A/The Zanzibar meeting was discussed here both PASE and especially KESES pledge to be actively involved. Both have a dedicated session in the program. KESES will actively promote the meeting by its members an electronic version of the latest flyers has been handed to Yamal Patel for this purpose. Through a board member of KESES Yamal Patel intends to interest also the Ob/Gyn society of Kenya for the congress. With another society ESA Yamal Patel intends to bring a pre congress course on ultrasound to the Zanzibar meeting.
• B/Concerning the inauguration congress of PASE, involving ISGE with a one-hour session, the projected dates are conflicting with the Ramadan period and the PASE Board will decide for a change of dates to be more opportune.
• C/Concerning ISGE’s SONOMIGSÔ project there is interest of the 3rd Park Hospital to be involved as a SONOMIGSÔ Center as all facilities, both ultrasound and endoscopic are available. There is also the interest to participate in the e-cloud database as projected by Prof Jörg Keckstein. Contacted Prof Keckstein did suggest to use the new #Enzian app to be installed on the phone of the participants. This has been realized. As contact persons for ISGE concerning SONOMIGSÔ both Emmanuel Nzau and Bruno J van Herendael did suggest Dusan Djokovic and Bart De Vree. Both were accepted by Yamal Patel and Joseph Njagi.
• D/ Concerning ISGE’s Intensive Weeks the evaluation of the 3rd Park Hospital Nairobi to become a Center of Excellence does need an insight in the costs of both entities and the creation of a strict bussinessplan concerning these events. This has to be discussed on the basis of the financial data between Mrs Paula Simons ISGE Executive Director and the Financial director, CEO, of the 3rd Park Hospital. The results of these discussions to be brought before ISGE ExCo and the Board of the 3rd Lane Hospital for a final decision to be made.

On Friday the whole crew, participants, nurses, staff both local and ISGE did set out at 06:00 am to travel to Kerugoya some two and a half hour from Nairobi by car. Here the reception in the old Anglican mission hospital Mount Kenya was very warm. Dr Joseph Njagi did host the participants. He has installed one fully functional Olympus endoscopic theatre flanked by a lecture room equipped with direct transmission from the theatre, care of the audiovisual team of 3^rd Park Hospital. On Friday four interventions have been performed with a rotation so that each of the gynaecologists could be first assistant whilst proctored by Yamal Patel or Raj Dodia. Emmanuel Nzau and Bruno J van Herendael have been introduced to the CEO of the hospital by Joseph Njagi. It has to be pointed out that the hospitality in Kerugoya was taken over by the organizers of the course.

Friday 11:30 am Yamal Patel, Joseph Njagi, Emmanuel Nzau and Bruno J van Herendael did travel the short distance to the campus of the Kirinyaga University, Kutus Town, Kirinyaga County. Kirinyaga being the Maasai name for Mont Kenya. This university is a Kenya State University. Here the party did meet with the dean of the school of Health Sciences, Dr Immaculate Marwa, and the deputy vice-chancellor of the university, Professor Charles Omwando. The meeting lasted longer than foreseen as both the dean and the deputy vice-chancellor of the university were quite interested in the project to collaborate with the 3rd Park Lane Hospital and ISGE. We therefore had to explain the whole project, an MOU had already been sent to ISGE for evaluation The conclusion of the meeting is that a formal request for collaboration will be made based on a comprehensive file containing the purpose of the collaboration, the program of the teaching, the type of questions (MCQ’s) asked and the outlay of the practical teaching both on pelvi-trainers and on patients. Professor Charles Omwando will bring this file for approval with his positive recommendation to the full board of the university to be approved. The time schedule for the final approval is fixed on May first 2025. Therefore, the final certificates to the Zanzibar participants with the logo of ISGE, 3rd Park Hospital and the university of Kirinyaga will be presented at the annual congress ISGE – AGOTA in a specific ceremony.

On Saturday two more live surgeries took place at the Mount Kenya Hospital. Discussing the results of the theoretical exam between Yamal Patel, Bruno J van Herendael and Emmanuel Nzau it was decided to give the failed participants a chance to recap with 19 MCQ’s of which content we were sure that it had been discussed during the theoretical sessions in Nairobi. Yamal Patel did then explain each and every of these MCQ’s for all the participants pointing out the specificities leading to the right answers. An open discussion with all participants took then place and the outcome is that for further courses a syllabus, containing all lectures, will be handed to the participants at the start of the courses.  Bruno J van Herendael, Emmanuel Nzau and Yamal Patel did explain to the participants how the meeting with the university did go and therefore the fact that the final certificate will be given when the logo of the university will be at disposition. In the meantime, a certificate will be issued by ISGE with the logos of ISGE and 3^rd Park Hospital.

At 01:00 pm a lunch was served in the Boardroom of the Mount Kenya Hospital and a closing ceremony was held. After the closure the participants did travel back to Nairobi.

Bruno J van Herendael
Medical Director