By Asma’u Ahmad
The President of Pan African Paediatric Surgeon Association (PAPSA), Professor Essam Elhalaby, said dearth of manpower and funds were major challenges facing paediatric surgery in the continent.
Professor Elhalaby spoke at the 2016 Pan African Paediatric Surgeon Association Conference in Lagos.
Health Reporters learnt that the conference with a theme; ‘Total Surgical Health for the African Child,’ was organised by the association in collaboration with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba.
According to him, Nigeria has about 100 fully trained paediatric surgeons, while Egypt has 150, but he added that in view of Nigeria population, it is still not enough.
“Nigeria has the largest population in the continent; there is a great gap and needs, which also explains why many African paediatric surgeons are travelling out of the continent,” Elhalaby said.
He described Africa as a free zone that created avenue for health personnel to move to other continents due to its economic problems.
He said: “The challenges of paediatric surgery in Africa are huge and one of them is manpower. If you look at Africa, you will be astounding that more than 12 countries have no single paediatric surgeon.
“Surgery in children is being handled by surgeons in other fields, with non-availability of paediatric nurses and anaesthesiologists and other specialties to assist. Another major challenge is economic problems; paediatric surgeons are well recognised and paid outside the continent.”
He said that the conference would proffer non-conventional solutions to the identified problems hindering paediatric surgery in African children.
In his remarks, the LUTH Chief Medical Director, Professor Chris Bode, who is also a paediatric surgeon, urged governments across the continent to tackle the problems facing health needs of children.
Bode identified finance as the major challenge facing the healthcare needs of African children, urging the governments to come up with sustainable innovative policies.
