By: Dr Edna Aden
Somalilandsun – Dr Shukri Mohamed Dahir, one of our two female physicians, has been assisting Dr. Dick Bransford when he visits our hospital for his popular surgery camps. Apparently she’s been paying attention.
Dr. Bransford has been visiting us for years, and he always tackles the most complicated cases. This past June, he and Dr. Shukri accepted a very sad case, a 10-month-old boy who was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Spina bifida is a congenital disorder where the spinal cord fails to fully develop, leaving a portion of the spinal cord exposed. Surgery is required to close the affected area. Hydrocephalus, commonly referred to as water on the brain, is treated by the insertion of a shunt to drain the excess fluid. As you might expect, both are delicate operations.
Dr. Bransford performed the operations, assisted by Dr. Shukri. It looked like both procedures were successful, and the young patient and his family returned home. However, the boy and his mother came back to the hospital last week. Dr. Shukri examined him and determined that his shunt had become blocked. As a result of the blockage, fluid had begun to leak from the incision made during the spina bifida surgery.
It clearly was an emergency situation, but Dr. Bransford is not scheduled to return to Somaliland until mid-August. Waiting was out of the question, so Dr. Shukri decided to act. With the help of Dr. Deeqa from Galibley, Dr. Shukri grabbed her scalpel and went to work. She replaced the blocked shu
nt and got the fluid draining properly again. One week later, the patient is doing great!
Believe it or not, Dr. Shukri only received her medical degree in 2011. She’s been on our staff since November 2011, and is an enthusiastic participant in our surgery camps. Dr. Shukri aspires to be a general surgeon and is currently looking into post-graduate opportunities. She is definitely one of our rising stars!
Edna cried with happiness upon the graduation of these two former Edna Hospital nurses from medical school. They are among Somaliland’s newest (and finest!) doctors.
These two young women first graduated from the Edna Hospital school of Midwifery and then were trained by the Hospital as Nurses. The two showed such a lot of promise that the Edna Hospital then sponsored them through Medical School. Beaming with pride, Edna said, “They are great doctors and so happy to have them back at the hospital.”
“I would like to share with you a very proud moment when ‘our’ daughters graduated from medical school. I was so emotional that I cried of happiness. It was worth waiting for the first females to graduate from medical school who are linked to our hospital.
“On Wednesday the 27th of July, 2011, the two medical students who we have supported financially and morally for the past six years have graduated!
Dr. Shukri wants to become a surgeon and has been working with the American surgeons from Kijabe Hospital in Kenya over the years. Edna is proud to report, ‘They love her and ask for her before they come.”
Read article at Edna Hospital
