When my soul is lost and I want to cry

Over time I shall heal, for I know that I

Still have the strength to say good-bye.

-------------------------Katherine Sessor

When I had been leaving Tokyo I missed my soul in mine and felt Japanese retained my soul forever by their hospitality and honesty. I wish I could again come back in japan and work together. Few drops of tear were let down from my eyes for gratefulness of Japanese. With the grace of almighty Allah, I have succeeded and could finish the training in the Department of Urology, Tokyo Women’s Medical University. While writing this final report, I remember everyone who extended their helping hand of different magnitude towards me. I am grateful to my trainers, fellow doctors, officials as well as members of JBMA.

During my tenure in TWMU, I learnt a lot of urological operations, Japanese culture and sincerity of Japanese colleague. There is a long list of urological operations I had attended there. I don’t need to write the name of operations but the list covered almost all urological operations. I had the opportunity to perform operation here with the helpful guidance of my mentor and enriched my laparoscopic operative skills. I hope, I would be able to replicate the knowledge and skill I could earn in Japan and have scope to reproduce in Bangladesh. The opportunity created by JBMA of an young urologist like me is very helpful to build up professional carrier at the beginning of professional life. I believe that this program is a beginning of medical relationship between Japan and Bangladesh and it has a long way to go. I also think that this is a great opportunity for Bangladeshi doctors to upgrade their surgical skills.

Tokyo Women’s Medical University gave me the award of the Fellowship in Advanced Urology and made me a part of them. I feel honored and proud to be a JBMA scholar and I also feel happy if JBMA will consider me as a part of JBMA. As a part of JBMA, I will always like to contribute my efforts and helps to run this program. I hope, with the generous efforts by all the trainees and involved members of JBMA, this program will be able to set an example of true friendship. I will wait life long for a call from JBMA to contribute my efforts for betterment of the relationship between the two countries.

I am thankful and my heartiest gratitude to JBMA and my mentors of both Bangladesh and Japan. I wish the success of Japan Bangladesh Medical Association.

The departure bell has been started to ring and feeling alone. Tokyo Women’s Medical University gave me a lot of opportunity to gain knowledge about urology and hospital management, JBMA is the way to reach the target. So I have started missing everything here because the preparations to say good bye have been set in.

However I have to write monthly report like every month. I have seen a lot of urological operations and have actively participated some of them. My hands-on training is going on with the supervision of my respected professors here. I have enjoyed all the operations. One thing I have to write. The operation theater environment has been maintained with top class coordination. Many peoples are working together in the operation theater but there is no chaos rather systematic and synchronous. I also learned the meticulous thing to maintained OT environment which is very important to minimize infection. Another important issue for me here, the management of the patient is totally paperless and imaging of the patient is filmless. They have their powerful documentation server and used the highest level of information technology. I have not only learned urology operations here but also learned so many other Japanese culture.

The kidney center of TWMU that is my department is one of the best renal transplantation center in Japan. Average three routine renal transplantations are done by our team in every week. All routine transplantation donors are live related. But last month I got the opportunity to see the emergency transplantation by cadaveric donor. There is no legal support of my country to do cadaveric transplantation, so I did not see it before in my country.

My professor of urology is so cordial that he gave me the permission to attend AUA conference in USA. I attended the 5 days conference in San Diego, USA early of this month. There was a huge gathering of urologist. Almost 12000 urologist attended the conference and exchanged their views. I was proud to be a part of that huge conference and thanks to JBMA for make it possible.

The weather in Tokyo is very comfortable and environment of the urology department also more comfortable for me because I started my hands on training from 4^th April 2016. The spring is now in full blown in nature and it is very soothing of my eyes also. This spring is also memorable and special in Tokyo for so many reasons; important one is that I was enjoying a couple of days in the spring with my wife in japan. I am thankful to JBMA to manage my wife Dr. Rifat Zaman’s tour in japan and also arrange a day visit in the pediatrics department of Tokyo Women’s Medical University Hospital.

I was very surprised when Dr. Kondo Sensei told me on 4^th April morning to operate one patient and Dr. Kondo Sensei will assist me. I was very nervous and started the operation with mild tremor in my hand. That is the beginning. I actively participated three more operation and observed so many cases to enrich myself.

Another memorable episode is to join the reception party of new resident of urology in Atami. All doctors from kidney center attended there and made the program successful. The program was held in Japanese RYOKAN. They gave me the warm reception and experienced traditional Japanese food and wearing YUKATA.

“The Spirit of Urology, The Power of Partnership” is the logo of the 104th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Urological Association in Sendai, Japan. In this nice spring there held the Annual Conference and I participated the conference. There were so many international sessions in the conference. I attended all the international sessions of international faculties as well as Japanese faculties also. I learned so many new procedures there and enriched my existing knowledge. After ending the conference, I had the opportunity to visit Sendai castle and Matsushima Islands, one the famous place in japan I had ever seen. I thank to everyone including JBMA, who brought me the opportunity to attend this big conference in such a nice place in Japan.

Observing SAKURA is the life time opportunity for me in Tokyo during passing second months of my Tokyo life and JBMA gave me the opportunity. The gathering in Ueno Park to observe SAKURA looks like “Baishakhi Mela” at Dhaka University campus, Bangladesh. So I am thankful to JBMA again. It has been two months I am living in Tokyo away from my country. I have become more familiar with Tokyo life and chop sticks also. Now I can eat noodles by chop sticks !

I was so privileged that I got the ACT licence (permission for advanced clinical training) from Health Ministry of Japan within very short time which permits me to join the operation team. All the official formalities to get this licence have done by JBMA and TWMU international office. I have observed a good number of operations in last two months which includes laparoscopic donor nephrectomy, recipient surgery, robot assisted prostatectomy, laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, robot assisted partial nephrectomy, nephrectomy and others urological procedures. Initial two months was my observation phase which is over now. I am very delighted to join operation from this month.

It was really awesome, enjoying the snow for the first ever in my life at Mt. Daisen of Yonago, Tottori. I was there to attend 49th conference of clinical renal transplantation. Almost all Japanese transplant related persons were present there. It was a big gathering. My department arranged everything to attend the conference for me. I visited the famous kaike beach, kaike onsen hot spring and nine temples in one street besides attending all the suitable presentation of the conference. From there I went Hiroshima to see the Atomic Bomb Dome for a day trip after concluding the conference. It was memorable one for me. However, exploring the beauty of Japan, I feel the obstacle everywhere in shops and transportation, which forces me to compromise every aspect even eating food also. I want to enjoy my time in Japan and get as much as close to Japanese culture but I don’t know whether that will be possible or not. I know that Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world and have to be more careful about sight seen. Sometimes this fact restrains me to explore Japan.

“Peace Everywhere” is the meaning of Japanese word “Heisei” which denotes the current era of Japan. I saw peace everywhere since when I stepped down from my flight on 29^th January at Haneda airport in Tokyo.

Japan Bangladesh Medical Association (JBMA), a non-profitable organization creates a great opportunity for doctors of DMCH to attend a training program in different subject at Tokyo Women’s Medical University. An agreement was done on clinical and research exchange between the Urology department of Tokyo Women’s Medical University Hospital and Dhaka Medical College Hospital, as per MOU between Tokyo Women’s Medical University and Dhaka Medical College in July, 2015 under full supervision of JBMA. I came here as a JBMA scholar for attending a fellowship training program in Urology. It was not possible for me to be here without the kind help of JBMA members in both countries. I am very much thankful to them.

When I arrived at Haneda airport on 29^th January, 2016 Dr. Saneat Jahan Khan, one of the JBMA scholar from Bangladesh received me at the airport followed by a welcome dinner in Indian restaurant and also gave me cordial support afterwards. JBMA arranged a nice furnished studio apartment for me, which is very comfortable and pleasant to leaving.

I was surprised to see Professor Hideki Ishida was waiting for me in the Urology department at sharp 7.00 AM on 1^st February 2016. When I entered in the department he gave me a friendly reception and introduced me to everyone including Professor Kazunari Tanabe, Chairman of the Urology department in the morning conference room. It took only few moments to become friendly with all of them. However the Urology department of this university is a very well equipped world class urology unit. All modern facilities are available here. All of my professors, colleagues and other staffs are very much friendly, helpful and co-operative.

It was honor for me that Professor Hiroyuki Sakurai, a renowned plastic surgeon and also Vice President of JBMA gave me a warm reception in his office with a very friendly environment. There I also met Ms Maiko Kunimi, a dynamic secretary who helped me a lot in every aspect. I gave her special thanks to arrange official formalities for me.

I am very poor in Japanese language. So it is very difficult to communicate to my colleagues and others. Despite this poor efficiency all of my colleagues helped me for understanding Japanese language. So I am very thankful to them. I thought I couldn’t eat Japanese food but surprisingly I could eat Japanese food and found it was very delicious mainly all fish items.

I felt honored when I knew that Professor Emeritus Motohiro Nozaki, President of JBMA invited me a reception party followed by a dinner on 24th February, 2016. There I met all the officials of JBMA including Professor Emeritus Motohiro Nozaki. He is such a pleasant personality bearing man and caring also that I was very glad to meet with him and felt proud to be a JBMA scholar and he assured me helping every aspect during staying in Japan. As usual the food was very delicious of that restaurant. I enjoyed the party and food also. Thanks to JBMA again.

Finally, I would like to give special thanks to Ms. Fumiko Daikoku, international office of TWMU, for her nice cooperation from the first. Still she is helping me for managing so much official formalities. I never forget the dynamic person Dr. Sheikh Allemuzzaman, General secretary of Bangladesh, JBMA who helped me a lot from the very first moment in Bangladesh. I am really thankful to him as well as JBMA.

JBMA creates the opportunity for me to come here and enrich my urological knowledge by working in the urology department and gives me a lifetime opportunity to explore japan. This scholarship will not only enrich my knowledge and carrier but also open a new window of exchange of ideas and views between these two countries.