Medical and Surgical Skills Institute Partnership

Project Goals

At the request of the Ghana government and West African College of Surgeons, the MSSI was initially encouraged to disseminate training that will prepare Ghanian and West African health care providers to treat patients afflicted with COVID-19. After a successful initial partnership, CGHSR and MSSI continued to collaborate on online education and training on various health topics.

“What makes the UMN/MSSI partnership so very special is the humble manner and the cultural sensitivity of the UMN team. They did not come in with an agenda. Instead, they spent a lot of time getting to know the MSSI team. After developing this relationship, the UMN team listened to the MSSI in order to understand our skills and capabilities."

Myron Aldrink, MSSI board chair

Key Activities

• Presentations for eLearning and Webinars: Led by CGHSR and the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety, the UMN team demonstrated practical adjustments to online presentations that promote learning and retention of knowledge and skills to 40 MSSI instructors.
• Obstetric Fistula Panel Discussion: Rahel Nardos, MD, MCR, partnered with MSSI to co-host a two-day long virtual panel discussion and training on obstetric fistula for midwives, doctors, and community health workers in Ghana.
• Diabetic Retinopathy: Five Rules to Follow to Prevent Blindness in Diabetics: University of Minnesota Medical School professor Hossein Nazari, MD, led a two-day training on diabetic retinopathy, a topic that is vital and underserved in the West African region. 
• Q&A on Management of the Critically Ill COVID-19 Patient: CGHSR director Shailey Prasad, MD, MPH, moderated a panel discussion along with Ghanaian emergency doctors and nurses to provide an overview of COVID-19 and the situation in Ghana.

“The relationship with the University of Minnesota has brought out the best in the MSSI team. The UMN team never comes to the discussion table with already carved out solutions, but are always ready to listen, tease out challenges, and help come up with solutions to our training needs whilst taking in technological and supply limitations and socio-cultural considerations.”

Kwame Agyire, MSSI executive director