Interview
Pediatric surgery: Aaron Biederstädt reports about Ethiopia
Brandenburg an der Havel, 16 April 2026
During surgery in the flickering light of an overcrowded hospital in Ethiopia, Aaron Biederstädt came to understand the importance of creativity and improvisation in medical procedures. Through his clinical traineeship at the university hospital in Brandenburg an der Havel, the 23-year-old MHB medical student experienced not only the challenges of pediatric surgery but also the profound differences between health systems. Head physician Reck-Burneo invited him at short notice to accompany him to Addis Ababa. Reck-Burneo has been active as a volunteer in undersupplied regions of the world for years. Aaron Biederstädt accepted. In this interview he talks about efforts to improve medical care in such regions and his decision to make a long-term commitment to pediatric surgery.
How did your Ethiopia experience change your view of medical practice and use of resources in Germany, and how is this perspective going to influence your future activities as a physician?
Aaron Biederstädt: Different countries, different customs, as they say. Ethiopia was a completely different world in many respects, in medical contexts as well as in the attitude to life. Clocks seem to run more slowly. Surgery starts later in the day compared to Germany. People appear to “take it easy”, not to get flustered or stressed. Structural problems cannot be solved so easily. Delays were often due to failure of older equipment, so that preparations for operations took longer. And that was not the only difference, the entire infrastructure is radically different. The university hospital in Addis is one of only few facilities where people get affordable treatment. Ethiopia has many modern private clinics, but they are too expensive for the general population. State facilities are rare, overcrowded and poorly equipped. The university hospital in Addis serves millions of people, which is why a large team of carers and well-functioning technical equipment are so essential. First impressions of the hospital are quite shocking: structural conditions, makeshift solutions, outdated technology. But what I have learned in Ethiopia is that you can provide great medical care by means of simple tools and methods.
What lessons do you draw - for medical practice and your perspective on international exchange in medicine - from pediatric surgery and your experience of intercultural teamwork with Dr. Reck-Burneo?
Biederstädt: My choice of pediatric surgery at the university hospital in Brandenburg for the traineeship was very deliberate. Dr. Reck’s career is impressive, and I was convinced that I would learn a lot from him and his international team, and from the influence which other health systems and countries had on their work. During these few weeks I learned and retained as much as hardly ever before. What I recall best, of course, are operations in Ethiopia when we corrected rectal deformities in the light of headlamps. There were long and extensive surgical procedures on very young children, frequently interrupted by power cuts, equipment failure or supply problems. Dr. Reck had many unconventional ideas to overcome such hurdles, based on his extensive experience as a surgeon.
How did your experience with pediatric surgery - in Brandenburg as well as in Ethiopia – determine your decision to focus on this discipline, and pave your way towards international activities?
Biederstädt: Pediatric surgery is an extremely comprehensive field with many options and specializations. Earlier practical periods and student jobs had drawn my attention to a different discipline. But my focus has changed, due to the satisfaction I felt in pediatric surgery. Working with children and their parents was a deeply fulfilling experience, doing something good and worthwhile on a daily basis. I had been thinking about a discipline well suited for international activities and other healthcare systems, not necessarily Ethiopia. Pediatric surgery seems to be particularly appropriate since pioneering work in the field is still required in many parts of the world and you can learn from international exchange.
What are your conclusions from your time in Ethiopia for a physician’s personal and professional development through deployments abroad, and how would you apply them to your career?
Biederstädt: I feel even more grateful for the opportunities and conditions we enjoy here in Germany. This applies not only but particularly to medicine. I have definitely learned to be more aware of what I consume and what I diagnose. It is a well-known fact that diagnostic practices in Germany are too much and too expensive. Available resources should be used more responsibly in healthcare provision. This insight is what I should like to retain. As to my future, I hope Ethiopia will not be my last foreign deployment.
It’s a big world, and I want to see more of it, there are so many countries you can help and learn from.
Having completed your traineeship in Addis Ababa, you have plans to become active in publicity work. What attracts you to this kind of work, and what are your objectives?
Biederstädt: We have started several joint projects in Brandenburg, and the team still has more ideas how to advance pediatric surgery. I would like to share and contribute. I would like to improve educational work for parents and children. We are currently designing guidelines and information booklets. There are plans for larger projects with an impact on clinical care. I am greatly pleased to be part of a team with so many innovative ideas. We will hopefully reach out to more children and parents and make medical care for them more modern and more easily accessible.
