A Retrospective One‐Year Estimation of the Volume and Nature of Surgical and Anaesthetic Services Delivered to the Populations of the Fako Division of the South‐West Region of Cameroon: An Urgent Call for Action

Mefire, Alain Chichom; Njie, Victor Mbome; Verla, Vincent Siysi; Atashili, Julius

doi:10.1007/s00268-016-3775-8

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…This further explains the high mortality noted in the series and related studies in Africa. The high mortality associated to our series and related studies in Ethiopia [ 7 ] and Tanzania [ 10 ] can further be explained by global shortage of surgical and anaesthetics services in these regions [ 20 , 21 ]. The number of cases of IHPS that remain undiagnosed in the community may be higher than expected as most of these later die of severe dehydration and sepsis.…”

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 86%

Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis: a 4-year experience from two tertiary care centres in Cameroon

et al. 2018

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ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of patients with infantile hypertrophic stenosis, management and its outcome in two tertiary care centres in Cameroon.ResultsA total of 21 patients were included from the two centres. The mean age at presentation was 5.2 ± 1.2 weeks, predominantly male with a male-to-female ratio of 4.25:1. The triad of vomiting, visible peristalsis and palpable mass was present in only 7 (33.3%) of the participants. The diagnosis was confirmed with ultrasounds in all participants. Ramstedt pyloromyotomy was done in all participants and in 9.5% of the participants it was complicated by intra-operative duodenal perforation whereas in the postoperative period the most common complications were vomiting (6, 28.6%), sepsis (2, 9.5%), and paralytic ileus (2, 9.5%). The mortality rate from the series is 9.5%. According to univariate logistic regression: severe dehydration [OR = 5.41, 95% CI = (3.11–6.97), p = 0.002], hypokalaemia [OR = 2.63, 95% CI = (1.02–5.91), p = 0.042] and surgical site infection [OR = 3.12, 95% CI (1.22–5.64), p = 0.023] were the main predictors of mortality whereas postoperative hospital length of stay > 5 days was significantly associated with surgical site infection [OR = 2.44, 95% CI = (1.12–6.44), p = 0.002] and postoperative nausea and vomiting [OR = 3.64, 95% CI = (1.18–6.64), p = 0.022].

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Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 86%

Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis: a 4-year experience from two tertiary care centres in Cameroon

et al. 2018

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“…This is probably related to the presence of an orthopaedic surgeon in most teaching hospitals. The low exposure to hernia repair and appendectomy is probably explained by the overall low rates of performance of these procedures in low‐income countries as compared to high‐income countries [2, 26‐28] and is probably explained by the overall poor level of provision of surgical services [4]. Comparable rates of exposures have been reported previously for these two procedures of critical importance [25].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The need to increase the number of surgical interventions carried out in Africa (and the world at large) [3, 4, 12, 13] and many countries is well established, and many countries fail to meet the basic surgical needs of their populations due to low surgical workforce [1, 6, 14, 15]. Thus, general practitioners and other non‐specialist staff need to perform a range of surgical procedures in order to help meet the surgical needs of the population of less developed [8, 9, 16] and even developed societies [17].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Surgery is an important cornerstone in the provision of primary health care services. However, due to the decreasing rural general surgical workforce [1, 2] and the increasing workload [3, 4], surgery has been described as the neglected stepchild of global public health [5]. To meet the high surgical needs of populations [6], non‐surgeons have to be involved in providing surgical care, especially in low‐ and middle‐income countries [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Acquisition of Surgical Skills by Final‐Year Medical Students in State‐Owned Medical Schools of Cameroon: Are We Doing Any Good?

et al. 2019

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Introduction World Health Organization recommends that basic surgical care be administered at the district level. In the absence of qualified surgeons, general practitioners are sometimes proposed to bridge the gap. Medical curricula in low-and middle-income countries must be designed accordingly. The aim of this study was to assess the achievements of training of undergraduate medical students in Cameroon towards meeting this objective. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in the four state-owned medical schools in Cameroon. All students who had completed all clinical rotations were assessed with a self-administered questionnaire for their exposure and self-perceived comfort in conducting some selected basic surgical skills and procedures. Results A total of 304 (87.6%) students returned filled questionnaires. Their self-perceived comfort in surgical skills ranged from 25% (manual node tying) to 86% (surgical scrubbing). Adequate exposure to selected surgical procedures was 87% for repair of perineal tear complicating vaginal delivery, above 80% for caesarean section and incision and drainage of abscess, 73% for cast immobilization of extremity fracture and just above 50% for hernia repair and appendectomy. It was as low as 3% for bowel resection and anastomosis. The choice to perform extracurricular activity for skills improvement was significantly associated with adequate exposure (p \ 0.05). Conclusion Overall, the mastery of practical surgical skills and basic surgical interventions by final-year medical students in Cameroon is insufficient. There is need to reinforce the training and assessment by creating the conditions for an appropriate exposure of medical students during surgical rotations.

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“…The mean national surgical specialist workforce density is about 1.15 per 100,000 population, significantly below the LCOGS target of at least 20 surgical specialists per 100,000 population [ 7 ]. Although national-level data is not available, a recent study found that 2,460 surgical procedures per 100,000 population are conducted by a handful of specialist surgeons in the Fako Division (South West, Cameroon) [ 8 , 9 ]. Furthermore, people in Cameroon with SOTA-related pathologies face significant financial hardship as a result of seeking SOTA care.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying opportunities for global surgery in Cameroon: an analysis of existing health policies and events

Takoutsing,

Endalle,

Senyuy

et al. 2024

Pan Afr Med J

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Introduction the burden of diseases amenable to surgery, obstetrics, trauma, and anesthesia (SOTA) care is increasing globally but low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected. The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery proposed National Surgical, Obstetrics, and Anesthesia Plans as national policies to reduce the global SOTA burden. These plans are dependent on comprehensive stakeholder engagement and health policy analysis. Objective: in this study, we analyzed existing national health policies and events in Cameroon to identify opportunities for SOTA policies. Methods we searched the Cameroonian Ministry of Health´s health policy database to identify past and current policies. Next, the policies were retrieved and screened for mentions of SOTA-related interventions using relevant keywords in French and English, and analyzed using the 'eight-fold path´ framework for public policy analysis. Results we identified 136 policies and events and excluded 16 duplicates. The health policies and events included were implemented between 1967 and 2021. Fifty-nine policies and events (49.2%) mentioned SOTA care: governance (n=25), infrastructure (n=21), service delivery (n=11), workforce (n=11), information management (n=10), and funding (n=8). Most policies and events focused on maternal and neonatal health, followed by anesthesia, ophthalmologic surgery, and trauma. National, multinational civil society organizations and private stakeholders supported these policies and events, and the Cameroonian Ministry of Public Health was the largest funder. Conclusion most Cameroonian SOTA-related policies and events focus on maternal and neonatal care, and health financing is the health system component with the least policies and events. Future SOTA policies should build on existing strengths while improving neglected areas, thus attaining shared global and national goals by 2030.

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A Retrospective One‐Year Estimation of the Volume and Nature of Surgical and Anaesthetic Services Delivered to the Populations of the Fako Division of the South‐West Region of Cameroon: An Urgent Call for Action

Cited by 7 publications

References 82 publications

Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis: a 4-year experience from two tertiary care centres in Cameroon

Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis: a 4-year experience from two tertiary care centres in Cameroon

Acquisition of Surgical Skills by Final‐Year Medical Students in State‐Owned Medical Schools of Cameroon: Are We Doing Any Good?

Identifying opportunities for global surgery in Cameroon: an analysis of existing health policies and events

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