Dr Chinbat Erdenebat spent a week in Echuca observing local clinicians.
Echuca Regional Health recently hosted a visiting Mongolian anaesthetist as part of a clinical observership program.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Hailing from Mongolia’s Central Military Hospital, anaesthetist Dr Chinbat Erdenebat has contributed to the ongoing development of anaesthetic and emergency medical systems in Mongolia.
Working in a military hospital, he is also regularly seconded by the United Nations for humanitarian deployments in countries such as Haiti and Gaza.
His visit to Australia was supported by local doctor Dr Sam Kennedy, who first met Dr Erdenebat in Mongolia three years ago while delivering emergency care training.
Their connection sits within a broader collaboration that has run for more than two decades, with Australian anaesthetists travelling to Mongolia to support foundational training in anaesthesia and emergency care.
Dr Kennedy became involved in the program in 2011 and has returned regularly since, later helping expand training into rural emergency care in Mongolia.
Through his work in rural Mongolia, he met Dr Erdenebat and was impressed by his experience.
“I was just quite blown away by the amount of work that he does,” he said.
“I thought it was a good chance to possibly get him to get out to Australia to expose him to our health system and look at systems that he may be able to incorporate into his practice and more broadly across both his humanitarian work.”
At Echuca Regional Health, Dr Erdenebat spent time alongside clinicians observing how surgical patients move through each stage of care, from their first assessment before surgery through to theatre, recovery and discharge.
He also gained insight into the local primary care system and the ways in which a patient would transition through an Australian health service.
Outside the hospital, Dr Erdenebat had the opportunity to explore the local community, including a paddlesteamer ride on the Murray River.
After his week in Echuca, Dr Erdenebat travelled to Melbourne, where he visited major tertiary hospitals, including trauma and transplant units, to see a broader range of services across the system.
Dr Chinbat Erdenebat got a closer look at Echuca's regional health system.
Dr Erdenebat said he was impressed by both the quality of care and the welcoming nature of staff during his visit.
“I really enjoyed (the) welcoming atmosphere and kindness of the staff,” he said.
“Working with the community and staff was a really meaningful experience, both professionally and personally.
“For a regional hospital, there were more things than I expected because in my country, the regional rural hospitals, some of the care doesn't exist there... so it was quite exciting.”
After experiencing both regional and metropolitan health services in Australia, he said he would return to Mongolia with a “good experience”.
Dr Kennedy said the observership was just as rewarding for him as it was for Dr Erdenebat.
“It was quite satisfying, not only having him out here and experience our way of life but also to learn from him as well and to establish a friendship with someone from a really distant part of the world,” he said.
“It's been a real privilege to have Chinbat out here, I hope we can perpetuate the relationship.”
Pending a review of the program, the observership model could potentially expand to New Zealand, where emergency physicians who have also worked with Dr Erdenebat have offered further training opportunities.
9°C