Kijabe Hospital Kick-Starts First Plastic Surgery Fellowship

During his general surgery fellowship, Dr. Ermias was fascinated by his professor especially how he would do plastic surgery. “Many times, I saw how he returned a body to normal function,” he says.

He remembers how his colleagues usually joked with him while doing a general surgery procedure. ‘Some will tell me this is not plastic surgery; just close the wound,” he shares, laughing.

On completion of the fellowship, the professor encouraged him to pursue plastic surgery.

Dr. Nebiyou Ermias is the first and lone fellow of the plastic surgery fellowship at the Kijabe Hospital.

He began the fellowship in April this year adds that it had improved his skills and knowledge.

“Being here has helped in integrating spiritual care with the physical aspect of medicine. I thought I understood the importance of it, but since I came to Kijabe, it has been a whole lot of learning.”

He is further inspired by the idea of giving spiritual care and using medicine as a gateway to reach people so that they can encounter Jesus Christ in their lives.

He hails from Ethiopia and now feels that his acceptance into the program has placed him in a position to set standards for upcoming fellows. “The weight is heavy, but I have to keep going because I have to set the bar higher for new fellows,” he shares.

He appreciated Dr. Nthumba as a great mentor and all his faculties, and he hopes that his stay here will be more fruitful.

The plastic surgery fellowship is supported by The Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) as a strategic response to the need for surgeons in Africa.