Global Surgery & Anesthesia

Fantastic! Fantastic! Yes this is what we need in Nigeria too., although very few collaborations occur between American Universities and Nigerian Universities(I stand to be corrected.) Although not directly involved, I will like to share with you Dr Awojobi's work in rural Eruwa, in the western part of Nigeria. He has been traininng non-surgeons for the past 15 years in Primary Care Surgery. You can access his works by typing his name on google, if interested

I've recently published a review on some of the UK efforts, although there is much more than could be done.

Here is a link with a broad overview about about Dr. Awojobi and his work. He sounds like an amazing man.

http://www.medlinxx.org/pubs/13-The-Efforts-of-One-Man--Dr-Oluyombo-Awojobi.pdf

Good work

Thanks for the great article. Over last few years, have been developing Center for Global Surgery at the University of Utah. Will be hosting a meeting March 2012 focusing on engineering surgery for the developing world. Do you have Dr. Awojobi's contact information?

I am impressed and encouraged by this development. It is something.We in Nevis would like to share in if there are any one out there willing to partner with us especially in the area of service based research to build capacity. We have recently started our own in-service training course called A Practical Introduction to Intensive Care for Nurses

Here is the review Caris Grimes mentioned of UK efforts in surgery published in the Bulletin of The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Free Content Role of UK Hospitals in Supporting Surgical Training in Africa

Dear Raymond, this is Dr Awojobis e-mail address Dr Awojobi Oluyombo <> and his gsm:+234-08024201501

Thanks,

Ray

Dear Raymond
Could you please kindly keep me posted on your activities at the Center for Global Surgery at the University of Utah ?. What is the agenda of the meeting you are be hosting on March 2012? Although I am non-surgeon physician, we run Primary Care surgical services at our Primary Care Health Center here At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital Pakoto, Ogun state Nigeria. Mostly herniorrhaphy, hydrocoelectomy and excision of lumps and bumps and circumcision.My e-mail is

Hello Olayinka
I am actually the Director of the Center for Global Surgery. Ray works closely with me as a collaborator. The date for the conference is March 22-23, 2012. The agenda is still being finalized, but it will highlight the Surgical Ecosystem. By that, we mean all the elements that make quality surgery possible and sustainable: surgical, nursing and anesthesia training, affordable supplies and equipment designed for and appropriate for a variety of surgical settings, business models for sustaining that supply chain, and policy makers. We will invite the diverse community that engages with this environment including students and practitioners in medicine, engineers, architects, business people, etc.

Best regards,

Catherine
Catherine R. deVries, M.D.
Professor of Surgery (Urology)
Director, Center for Global Surgery
University of Utah

Hello all,

I've been working as an academic pediatric surgeon for the past 8 years at Kijabe Hospital in Kenya. Over the years we have had several exchange programs and arrangements with North American universities and have had many surgical residents on our surgical and anesthesia services.

Our main focus however is - and must be - training the African national surgeons, who have so few opportunities by comparison to their Western counterparts. We currently have COSECSA- certified programs in general surgery, pediatric surgery, and orthopedics. (COSECSA is the College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa).
This training therefore focuses on African nationals, and is done in Africa by African surgeons (or long-term expatriates familiar to the African setting). The training is certified by COSECSA, but many training resources are provided by PAACS - the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons, with centres throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

As we look at the growing interest in internationalism, volunteerism, and global surgery, not only must we avoid this degenerating into "surgical tourism" (for consultants just as much as for residents), but we need to keep the focus on the real issue - the terrible imbalance in both health care providers and trainees in LMICs compared ...

Hello all,

I've been working as an academic pediatric surgeon for the past 8 years at Kijabe Hospital in Kenya. Over the years we have had several exchange programs and arrangements with North American universities and have had many surgical residents on our surgical and anesthesia services.

Our main focus however is - and must be - training the African national surgeons, who have so few opportunities by comparison to their Western counterparts. We currently have COSECSA- certified programs in general surgery, pediatric surgery, and orthopedics. (COSECSA is the College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa).
This training therefore focuses on African nationals, and is done in Africa by African surgeons (or long-term expatriates familiar to the African setting). The training is certified by COSECSA, but many training resources are provided by PAACS - the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons, with centres throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

As we look at the growing interest in internationalism, volunteerism, and global surgery, not only must we avoid this degenerating into "surgical tourism" (for consultants just as much as for residents), but we need to keep the focus on the real issue - the terrible imbalance in both health care providers and trainees in LMICs compared to the West (or North). Within such clear goals all desires and plans for academic North-South surgical exchanges can be rightly assessed and beneficially implemented.

I agree with Dan Poenaru's comments. In fact, we include in our book "Global Surgery and Public Health: A New Paradigm" a good review of the PAACS surgical training initiative in Africa. Finding solutions to global problems like poverty or lack of surgical care requires multidisciplinary and multinational innovative approaches. Sustainable solutions to the worlds problems will not be solved on humanitarian initiatives alone but will require more methods the involve understanding the local cultures and environments that allow for new education and care delivery models. Any program that does not include the local people's goals, plans, customs, societies etc is doomed for failure. Congrats to Dan for his work with the people in establishing local training programs.

Olayinka,

I see Catherine deVries beat me responding to your note. :) I was glad to hear primary care at your facility includes basic surgical care as well. We would hope to highlight some of these models as they are so important for expanding surgical care access.

Ray

Dear Catherine and Raymond, thanks for your excellent replies. It is always gratifying to know that there are other people in other parts of the world thinking and acting the same way as one is doing here. One feels supported and relevant
Dear Dan, For a million years, global discussion and health has always talked like you are talking. Technology transfer etc etc. It has not happened. Top down approaches have never worked for Africa. Bureucracy etc etc blunts outcome. Going straight to the bottom is working. At least these communities are getting something....at long last. I myself have become almost frustrated at all our efforts to get attention and resources focused to Primary Health Care facilities and there adjourning communitees. It is a great relief that " surgical tourism".... is coming on stream. At last we are getting something, however small and transient.