
From March 15th to 26th 2018, Dr. Takushi Sato, professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of East Asia (also an invited professor of gastrointestinal medicine at the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences (MNUMS)), visited the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences to collaborate endoscopic knowledge and techniques.
In Mongolia, there is a high rate of stomach cancer, and its death rate is second only to liver cancer. The Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, which plays a key role in the health of Mongolian citizens, sees roughly 1050 patients plus roughly 200 patients for upper and lower gastrointestinal tract endoscopic examinations per year, respectively. Three quarters of stomach cancer diagnoses are progressive, and are beyond endoscopic treatment. Therefore, the Mongolian Ministry of Health is planning to improve techniques in order to examine, diagnose and treat cancer from earlier stages.
The first being in September 2017, this was Dr. Sato’s second collaborative session with MNUMS’s endoscopic team upon their request. Dr. Sato oversaw the endoscopic team’s examinations and shared with them his own medical knowledge. MNUMS’s president and vice president, and the head doctor of an attached hospital were also in attendance to observe Dr. Sato’s instruction. Throughout this collaborative period, there were 109 upper, and twenty lower gastrointestinal endoscopic examinations, three polypectomies, one endoscopic reduction of Sigmoid Volvulus operation, one case of esophageal cancer, one case of early-stage stomach cancer, and one case of progressive stomach cancer. In addition, 81 people were tested for Helicobacter pylori, of which 53 proved positive.
For a number of days after the collaborative endoscopic exercises, Dr. Sato gave lectures regarding the latest endoscopic examination and treatment techniques being used in Japan. “I want you all to think very carefully about why we aspire to learn new endoscopic skills. I want you to bear in mind the fact that these are techniques that can save lives”, was the message Dr. Sato gave to conclude his final lecture.
Written by Tae Namba,
Director of GPSP Support Bureau, AMDA