Falola Adebayo, Ndong Abdourahmane, Adeyeye Ademola
University of Ibadan College of Medicine, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Department of Surgery, Gaston Berger University, Saint-Louis, Senegal.
BMC Surg. 2025 Apr 2;25(1):129. doi: 10.1186/s12893-025-02863-3.
Surgical care has advanced with the introduction of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques, which have resulted in a reduced length of hospital stay and improved patient outcomes with regard to morbidity, mortality, and aesthetics. Implementation in Africa remains limited due to economic, infrastructural, and training-related issues. Our previous reviews show that adoption of MIS in Africa has been highly variable. Only Egypt and South Africa, for example, have significantly reported robotic surgery programs. Despite present challenges, recent developments show that progress is being made. Advantages of MIS in resource-limited settings include fewer postoperative complications and shorter hospital stays, crucial for African patients who cannot afford unexpectedly extensive postoperative care and are also reliant on daily earnings. In the future, tele-robotic surgery can improve access to surgical care in under-served regions of the continent. Implementation barriers include the high cost of equipment, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, and limited training opportunities. Investment in the development of low-cost innovations, such as MIS equipment suited for resource-limited settings, local manufacturing or assembly of MIS equipment, and the establishment of training programs within the continent, is necessary to overcome these challenges. Policies supporting the integration of MIS into national healthcare plans are also required. The development of more robust MIS programs in Africa will not only enhance surgical care but will also contribute to the improvement of healthcare and economic outcomes across the continent. We present this commentary on the current state, challenges, and opportunities for the wider adoption of MIS across Africa, based on recent continent-wide reviews.
随着微创手术（MIS）技术的引入，外科护理取得了进展，这使得住院时间缩短，患者在发病率、死亡率和美观方面的预后得到改善。由于经济、基础设施和培训相关问题，MIS在非洲的应用仍然有限。我们之前的综述表明，MIS在非洲的采用情况差异很大。例如，只有埃及和南非显著报告了机器人手术项目。尽管目前存在挑战，但最近的发展表明正在取得进展。MIS在资源有限环境中的优势包括术后并发症更少和住院时间更短，这对那些负担不起意外广泛术后护理且依赖每日收入的非洲患者至关重要。未来，远程机器人手术可以改善非洲大陆服务不足地区获得外科护理的机会。实施障碍包括设备成本高、医疗基础设施不足和培训机会有限。投资开发低成本创新，如适合资源有限环境的MIS设备、MIS设备的本地制造或组装，以及在非洲大陆建立培训项目，对于克服这些挑战是必要的。还需要支持将MIS纳入国家医疗保健计划的政策。在非洲发展更强大的MIS项目不仅将提高外科护理水平，还将有助于改善整个非洲大陆的医疗保健和经济成果。基于最近对整个非洲大陆的综述，我们对MIS在非洲更广泛采用的现状、挑战和机遇发表此评论。
