Since October 2024, the Netherlands Society of International ENT Surgery (NSIENTS) has been the 19th working group within the Netherlands’ Society for Global Health (NSGH). We are a collective of Dutch ENT specialists and doctors in training who are committed to improving ENT care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Our work focuses on providing ENT care in locations where this care is often structurally lacking. We operate in collaboration with local ENT specialists and support clinical teams using the bottom-up principle, with a focus on knowledge transfer and capacity building. An important part of this is training clinical officers in basic ENT through WHO-accredited programmes. We also focus on audiological rehabilitation, such as courses in audiometry and hearing aid fitting.
The demand for ENT care in LMICs is growing rapidly; hearing loss and other ENT-related complaints are now among the four most common reasons for outpatient visits worldwide.
NSIENTS is actively involved in education, including the annual ENT Day for Doctors in International Health (AIG), organised by the OIGT. In addition, we aim to support local initiatives and serve as a knowledge platform for ENT care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Our origins lie in various Dutch initiatives that have been active in the field of international ENT care for many years. The Eardrop Foundation was established in 1983 and is active in Kenya and Ethiopia. Other projects focus on Suriname, Tanzania (www.afrikno.nl) and Nepal (www.kindenoor.nlThese collaborations are firmly anchored within the Dutch ENT Association (NVKNO) and together form the foundation of what is now NSIENTS.
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