Spanu Fabio, Piquer José, Panciani P Paolo, Qureshi Mahmood M
Mathari Consolata Hospital (Volunteer Neurosurgeon), Nyeri, Kenya.
Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Universitario de la Ribera, Alzira, Valencia, Spain.
World Neurosurg. 2018 Mar;111:326-334. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2017.12.146. Epub 2017 Dec 30.
Several strategies have been proposed for developing and spreading surgical specialties in Sub-Saharan East Africa. Regarding neurosurgery, improvements are coming from the cooperation between Western and African institutes by means of the World Federation of Neurological Surgeons and independent organizations but, far from big cities and more equipped hospitals, shortcomings in the delivery of services persist.
Through the application of 1 formally trained neurosurgeon volunteer, the Foundation for International Education in Neurological Surgery and Neurocirugía, Educación y Desarrollo coordinated a 2-month neurosurgical project at Mathari Consolata Hospital in Nyeri (Kenya), designed to analyze critical points and to find suggestions for initiating and developing a neurosurgical service, providing in the meantime clinical and surgical care for patients.
During the mission, general and local issues limiting the neurosurgical activities at the hospital were studied. They were discussed with the hospital board and the project supervisors, thereby ensuring short-term and medium-term solutions and possible future cooperation with the hospital. The volunteer also carried out clinics and surgery for neuro cases and neurosurgical training for nurses and doctors.
The model proposed should be considered a preliminary and immersive survey to evaluate the eligibility of a decentralized East African hospital to interface with neurosurgical activities, through the support of experienced local institutes and Western organizations. Host hospitals would also have the chance to enhance clinical services currently lacking and to train its personnel at low cost. The program may represent a rewarding personal and professional opportunity for young trained neurosurgeons, which also addresses the contemporary shortage of local specialists.
已经提出了几种在东非撒哈拉以南地区发展和推广外科专业的策略。关于神经外科，通过世界神经外科医师联合会和独立组织，西方和非洲机构之间的合作正在带来改善，但在远离大城市和设备更齐全医院的地方，服务提供方面的不足仍然存在。
通过一名经过正规培训的神经外科医生志愿者的参与，国际神经外科教育基金会和Neurocirugía、Educación y Desarrollo在肯尼亚涅里的马塔里孔索拉塔医院协调了一个为期两个月的神经外科项目，旨在分析关键点并为启动和发展神经外科服务寻找建议，同时为患者提供临床和手术护理。
在任务期间，研究了限制该医院神经外科活动的一般和局部问题。与医院董事会和项目主管进行了讨论，从而确保了短期和中期解决方案以及未来与该医院的可能合作。志愿者还为神经病例开展了门诊和手术，并为护士和医生进行了神经外科培训。
所提出的模式应被视为一项初步的沉浸式调查，以评估一家东非偏远医院在经验丰富的当地机构和西方组织的支持下开展神经外科活动的适宜性。接收医院也将有机会加强目前缺乏的临床服务，并以低成本培训其人员。该项目可能为年轻的受过培训的神经外科医生提供一个有意义的个人和职业机会，同时也解决了当地专家目前短缺的问题。
