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Educational support for ENT surgeons in the Developing World

Of 278 million people with bilateral moderate to severe hearing impairment, 80% live in the Developing World. It is predicted that 70% of new cancers will occur in the Developing World by 2030. ENT in the Developing World is however characterised by a shortage of medical personnel, outdated equipment, poor health infrastructure and pathology often not seen in the Developed World such as tuberculosis, HIV, advanced cancers, and tropical diseases. For many of these reasons, ENT is practiced differently in Developing World countries. Examples might include open partial laryngectomy, near total laryngectomy, oncologic surgery without radiation or chemotherapy, TB mastoiditis, external sinus surgery, hammer-and-gouge mastoid surgery etc.

Opportunities for training health professionals are also limited, and they often cannot afford to attend conferences and courses. However, special knowledge and expertise do exist in Developing World countries that need to be harnessed to improve the quality of ENT practice in the Developing World and to further develop its special brand of ENT practice.

IFOS wishes to promote such exchanges of ideas between practitioners and institutions in the Developing World, and to promote appropriate teaching and training as well as to facilitate links with Developed World training institutions. This will be facilitated through this IFOS website.

We invite you to use this website to collaborate with your colleagues on ENT matters, to establish training programmes, to access educational material, and as a discussion forum to exchange ideas.