ISUOG’s most recent outreach trip to Luxor has promoted high quality and evidence-based practice in an area of Egypt where education of this kind is often inaccessible.
This year, from 13-17 April, ISUOG volunteers travelled to Luxor in Southern Egypt, to mentor new ultrasound educators. This trip aimed to equip them with the skills to provide basic training to others – ultimately to improve maternal outcomes in the region.
In his testimony, one of the 23 trainees, Kholoud Gamal Elsayed, said “It provides such a great opportunity to have a continuous learning process and supportive team throughout and after the programme, that will improve the practice surely.
“It’s an honour to be part of such a great programme and to have the membership of ISUOG will be a great help.”
Another of the trainees, Mohamed Salah Elsoghier, said: “I hope to repeat this programme again in the forthcoming years – an excellent chance to meet the experts”.
Mohamed was not the only trainee to emphasise that opportunities of this kind are quite rare in Egypt, and how important initiatives like this are in lower-resourced countries. He said: “I need more opportunities like this, especially in upper Egypt”.
Through lectures, hands-on training, mentorship and assessment, the trainees were given a comprehensive overview of ultrasound fundamentals, fetal assessment, gynecological ultrasound and clinical practice standards.
One trainee said: “Here, opportunities represent a gateway to better healthcare. For me it’s a chance to grow professionally and serve my community. The programme promotes evidence-based practice and shifts the perception of ultrasound and helps bridge the gap in healthcare access and quality. I would like to express my gratitude to the organisers and the supporters of this program. It has been a transformative experience.”
Another trainee said: “The program is important for training doctors on basic full ultrasound assessment, which improves Egyptian women’s health and fetal outcomes. It is a good chance to elevate knowledge and skills of our doctors - very useful in improving mother and child health and is a rare specialty.”