Nairobi, Tuesday July 17, 2007– The Canadian High Commissioner to Kenya, H. E. Ross Hynes, presided over the opening of a cardiac catheterization laboratory and three state of the art operating theatres at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. The event was also attended by Princess Zahra Aga Khan. The new facilities will receive support in the form of skills development, partnerships and exchange programs from three Canadian universities: The University of Alberta, The University of Ottawa and The University of Waterloo.
 Canadian High Commissioner to Kenya, H.E Ross Hynes (Center) laughs with hospital staff at the Aga Khan University Hospital as Princess Zahra Aga Khan (far left) looks on. |
At the opening ceremony, the High Commissioner lauded the support that Canadian universities had given to the Aga Khan University Hospital, saying they had played a significant role in the development of the medical programme that the hospital plans to deliver to the people of East Africa.
“This shows the significant role that a number of Canadian individuals and organizations have played in the development of important medical programmes that the Aga Khan University Hospital will deliver, and with the broader plans the hospital has in expanding its educational agenda and in strengthening its overall capacity to train students and medical professionals and the people of East Africa”, he said.
 Ambassador Saidullah Khan Dehlavi (left), the Chairman board of trustees of the Aga Khan University Hospital and Canadian High Commissioner to Kenya, H.E Ross Hynes cut a ribbon to mark the opening of an operating theatre at the Aga Khan University Hospital as Princess Zahra Aga Khan (right) looks on. |
Through the collaboration, faculty members of the Aga Khan University Hospital will receive clinical skills development from the University of Alberta in the Cardiology Programme as well as assistance in the establishment of a Cardiac Rehabilitation Service. In addition, the University of Alberta will establish a distance learning educational programme for the Aga Khan University Hospital faculty that will contribute towards a Master’s in medical education.
The University of Ottawa will support the university in the Ophthalmology and Orthopaedic Programmes. Visiting specialists from Canada will provide in situ training for complicated surgeries, and faculty from the Aga Khan University Hospital will visit Ottawa for a few months to perfect their techniques. This initiative, also known as the “sandwich programme”, will enable the development of the Kenyan faculty to carry out specialized surgeries.
Further to this, an exchange programme will be established to enable a knowledge exchange whereby young professionals from the Aga Khan University Hospital will participate in mentorship programmes in Canada to gain technical skills in their areas of speciality. Students from the University of Waterloo and the University of Alberta will also spend between one and two years at the Aga Khan University Hospital to learn and broaden their horizons by experiencing environments in the developing world. At the event, the High Commissioner also congratulated His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan on the golden jubilee as Imam of the Shi’a Ismaili Muslims. He also noted that Canada was proud to have been selected as the site for the Aga Khan’s Global Centre for Pluralism, and, that the Canadian Government was proud to be supporting an institution that will serve as a cornerstone of good governance, the rule of law, and human development in the years ahead.
Ismailimail 