Delegates from Jimma University visited Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands

The visit was held on June 1st, 2018 by Mr. Kora Tushune, V/P for Business & Development of JU and Dr. Essayas Gudina, CEO of the Jimma University Medical Center. The main focus of the visit was to discuss on how Erasmus MC Cancer Institute would help JU to establish and strengthen oncology and radiotherapy services at its hospital. The team from the Erasmus MC was led by Professor Luca Incrocci, Professor of Genito-Urinary Radiotherapy at Erasmus MC Cancer Institute. Presentation about Jimma University was delivered by Mr.  Kora and the brief profile of Jimma University Medical Center was also made by Dr. Essayas .  Further detailed discussions were also conducted on the challenges of cancer globally and in low- and middle-income countries in like Ethiopia.
The delegates visited different facilities of the cancer institute and discussed with representatives of different units. The team also discussed with radiotherapy technician/technologies from Erasmus MC and other hospitals in the Netherlands who wish to work at JUMC. The discussions finally led to framing areas on which the two institutions can work together. 
Agreements were reached that medical physicist, radiation oncologist and radiotherapy technicians would visit JUMC cancer center during installation process and  Radiotherapy technologist from Erasmus will prepare training manual that would help train local staffs at JUMC. Two radiotherapy technician/technologists will be in Jimma every time on rotation basis until JUMC becomes self-sufficient while Erasmus MC will provide leave of absence for 3 to 6 months for each of these professionals during their stay in Jimma. 
Training of local professionals will begins once radiotherapy service commences at JUMC and generally the two parties committed themselves to collaborate on Staff and student exchange, joint research and joint grant application to secure funding for their future endeavor. 
The Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC) based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, affiliated with Erasmus University and home to its faculty of medicine, is the largest hospital in the Netherlands with bed capacity of 1221. EMC moved to state of the art, patient friendly new building on 18th May, 2018.Erasmus MC Cancer Institute has one of the largest radiotherapy centers in Europe owning 12 Linear Accelerator modern radiotherapy machines and cyber knives.