Neurosurgery in East Africa: Foundations

Ailing neurosurgical services in rural Africa

“…Most African healthcare workers migrate from impoverished countries to more developed countries, resulting in a severe shortage of healthcare providers in areas where the need is greatest. Financial reasons, limited career options, interpersonal conflicts among inconsistently qualified professionals, poor working conditions, and political instabilities are among the push factors driving this qualified physician migration 7 . Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has only 27 neurosurgeons serving an enormous population of over 170 million people 3 .…”

“…In some instances where there are at least neurosurgical services, patients will have to wait for several weeks to even months to get access to neurosurgical care. An example is the neurosurgery department at Bugando Medical Facility (BMC), a tertiary referral center in Tanzania where a number of patients will have to wait several weeks and months to get surgical care 7 . BMC technically serves a region of nearly 13 million people, however there is surprisingly only one licensed local neurosurgeon and two licensed local anesthesiologists serving this huge population.…”

The Global Neurosurgery and the WFNS

“…The goals are ambitious. By creating international partnerships, the WFNS has established multiple training programs in neurosurgical centers in Africa and other countries with limited facilities, allowing residents to work first in the host countries to learn and improve their skills and return to their country of origin [3,4,5]. Furthermore, the WFNS is working on sustainable surgical programs within Lowand Middle-income countries (LMICs) using digital technology [6].…”

Neurosurgery in Sub-Saharan Africa - Historical Background and Development of Training Programs in East Africa.

“…He was joined by the first Ugandan Neurosurgeon, Dr. Jovan Kiryabirwe, in 1971, who became the first indigenous Ugandan Neurosurgeon and the first African Neurosurgeon in East and Central Africa. He attended medical school at Makerere University School of Medicine in Kampala and subsequently completed postgraduate training at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Scotland; he also trained at Queens Square with Professor Logue (5).…”

“…Several neurosurgeons have practiced at MOI since its founding, including Dr. Abednego Kinasha and Dr. Joseph Kahamba, who along with Professor Laurence Museru, the Medical Director of MOI, played a pivotal role in laying the foundation for the training of the current generation of neurosurgeons in Tanzania (5).The core of the specialty expertise in the country is formed by the contemporary, locally trained neurosurgeons who provide neurosurgical training at MOI and neurosurgical care at several healthcare institutions around the country. There are currently 20 neurosurgeons in the country, 18 of whom in public service, one at a Mission hospital in Moshi, one in a private hospital, (the Aga Khan University Hospital) in Dar-es-salaam, and one at the MnaziMmoja/NED Institute in Zanzibar.…”