Creation of the Gail V. Anderson Sr., MD Training Fund in Emergency Medicine
Try to Imagine that you live in the huge Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) a country of 80 million people, where road traumas are common, physical violence is frequent, and deadly guerilla wars and conflicts have forced you to take your family and flee to jungle areas or vast displacement camps where you face starvation and other physical traumas. (Displaced people from the conflict with M-23 guerillas now number 6.9 million.)
Dr. Gail V. Anderson Sr. (photo left)
When Conscience International’s Medical Director, Gail Anderson Jr. MD visited the Heal Africa Hospital in Goma recently, he met eastern Congo’s only specialty-trained physician in emergency medicine—Dr. Mundenga Mutendi Muller— who was skillfully teaching a class of qualified physicians and nurses to handle emergency cases through a three-month course titled “Training in Clinical Emergency Care” (TCEC). While the hospital has several specialty residencies, it has none in emergency medicine.
Dr. Gail V. Anderson Jr.
“A candidate for specialization in emergency medicine must go outside the DRC for at least three to four years with considerable cost implications,” Dr. Muller explained. “Many candidates who want to follow the training are unable to pay the training fees, transportation costs, and accommodations. So providing theoretical and practical training on emergencies at Heal Africa Hospital is a first opportunity ever experienced in the DRC to strengthen the ability of emergency care providers while awaiting specialized training.”
Making hospital rounds with Dr. Muller, Dr. Anderson Jr., himself a longtime specialist in emergency medicine and hospital administration in the United States, quicky recognized the need was to get doctors and nurses properly trained for emergency medicine practice. He returned to the US and donated initial funding through Conscience International in order to support Dr. Muller’s ultimate goal to create the first academic training program in emergency medicine in the Congo.
Dr. Mundenga Mutendi Muller
The Gail V. Anderson Sr. MD Training Fund in Emergency Medicine is established in honor of his father, the late Dr. Gail V. Anderson Sr., who is recognized as one of the “fathers” of emergency medicine practice in the US.
In 1971, the senior Dr. Anderson became America’s first professor and chair of an academic department of emergency medicine at the University of Southern California. Besides being recognized as one of the “fathers” of emergency medicine in the United States, Dr. Anderson Sr. was also involved in the international development of the specialty.
Ambulance at Heal Africa Hospital, Goma, but no emergency medical system in the city
His son’s vision for the fund is not only for training doctors and nurses in Congo, however. “The purpose is to help support the evolution of emergency medicine training throughout developing nations where education funding is scarce,” he says. “Local physicians with potential to be skilled educators in the specialty are to be identified as initial recipients from the fund. Dr. Muller is the first recipient of a grant.”
Dr. Anderson, back row, with second TCEC class
Dr. Anderson will oversee the fund and conduct an annual review of progress in cooperation with Heal Africa Hospital and Dr. Muller, the lead trainer and program coordinator.
Many doctor and nurse candidates are unable to pay the training fees ($600 for doctors and $300 for nurses) as well as temporary living expenses during the course. “Implementing emergency care training onsite offers the maximum impact with donated funds,” notes Dr. James Jennings, PhD, President of Conscience International.
Training doctors and nurses for emergency care with limited resources
By supporting this program you will directly impact the life or death situations of thousands of women, children, and men in developing nations where no specialty emergency care is available. And if you ever find yourself in an emergency room, you might want to whisper a “thank you” for Dr. Gail V. Anderson Sr.’s work in establishing emergency medicine care in the United States.
Heal Africa Hospital, Goma,
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Please help us bring emergency care to the people of the Congo by donating in any amount
By Check to Conscience International, PO Box 1163, Alpharetta, GA 30009 USA
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