Medical practitioners, policy experts, researchers and other key stakeholders have called for urgent mitigation measures to address dwindling numbers of surgical professionals serving Africa’s burgeoning population.
Studies delivered at the Pan-African Surgical Conference in Rwanda show the surgical experts crisis could reach alarming levels by 2030 when Africa will experience a shortage of six million surgical care providers, leaving millions without access to life-saving procedures.
The Pan-African Surgical Conference convened by medical charity, Operation Smile and themed “Building Resilient and Sustainable Surgical Services in Africa: A Surgeon in Every District Hospital”, seeks to increase surgical access in Africa by strengthening local surgical workforces in individual countries and exploring context-specific solutions to the identified gaps in local surgical ecosystems.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of the five-day conference, Professor Faustin Ntirenganya, a senior consultant general and onco-plastic surgeon at the University of Rwanda and co-chair of the conference averred that, “millions of people lack access to life-saving surgical care – a basic human right. This conference is not just about discussions, it is a call to action for a shared vision of access to quality healthcare. If we foster collaboration, equip local providers, and invest in innovation, we can create a future where no patient is left behind and reshape the future of surgical care in Africa and beyond.”
Ms Billy Magee, conference co-chair and chief medical officer, Operation Smile asserted that Africa could not do it alone and called for global corporations, philanthropies, charities and first world countries to support Africa’s efforts in training local surgical practitioners.
“Operation smile, a locally led, globally supported organisation works together with local healthcare providers, ministries of health, health systems, governments, NGOs, corporations, and academic institutions to exchange ideas and scale up Africa’s next generation of surgeons and anaesthesiologists. I am thrilled to see this collaboration come to life in Kigali today – as every voice in this room contributes to a global network of solutions, innovation, and progress,” she said.
Keynote speakers include Dr. Hanna Getachew (Consultant General and Paediatric Surgeon), Dr. Peter Nthumba (Head and Program Director of Plastic Reconstructive Surgery at the AIC Kijabe Hospital) and Prof. Kathryn Chu (Director of the Centre of Global Surgery), among others.
Key discussions will also be centred on innovative solutions in healthcare infrastructure, policy advocacy for surgical access and strategies for enhancing surgical training and research in Africa.
Operation Smile, a global nonprofit deeply committed to closing the gap in surgical and health care access for more than 40 years across 37 countries, has operated in Africa since 1987. The organization has worked in 12 African countries to build a sustainable surgical workforce through strategic partnerships and will expand to Tanzania in 2025.