American artist Madonna opened a surgery center, Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care, in Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, this past July. Madonna has worked alongside pediatric surgeon Eric Borgstein, MD, on the surgery center with future expansion plans hopefully coming down the pipeline, according to an interview CBS News conducted with Dr. Borgstein and Madonna.
Here are five key points:
1. A Malawi native, Dr. Borgstein has treated a substantial number of pediatric patients and has done so with scarce resources.
2. With the surgery center, Dr. Borgstein said he can train incoming surgeons to help them build their skill sets.
3. The hospital built the ASC to invest in its pediatric patients' futures. Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care has 50 beds right now, with plans for expansion on the horizon.
4. Dr. Borgstein is a professor of surgery at University of Malawi College of Medicine in Blantyre.
5. He is working on the COST-Africa project, a European Union research grant that studies non-physicians' surgical training in Malawi and Zambia.