African neurosurgery: current situation, priorities, and needs

The beginning of a new millennium causes us to reflect on the state of neurosurgery in the African countries and to affirm that we are eager to provide quality health care for our people. This study is important because its main purpose is to assess progress toward achievements and to identify potential problems, so that remedial action can be taken.

To attain these objectives, the following steps were performed: planning, surveying, analyzing feedback, and reporting. We first formed the World Health Organization African Subcommittee. In a meeting held in Dakar on May 25, 1998, we agreed on a strategy and devised a statistical form to adopt. After the drafts were approved, they were distributed to 51 African countries. The survey was performed by representatives who spent 6 months analyzing and collecting data.

The results were alarming. After data analysis, we classified the countries into four main groups with respect to the number of neurosurgeons, the equipment potential, and the training capacity. One of the main observations is the need for organization and structured training. Another weakness is the lack of medicosurgical equipment. Poor funding and a lack of resources are responsible for this situation.

Overcoming these problems will require that African neurosurgeons target a number of priorities, i.e., devising local training programs and obtaining the necessary equipment. We appeal to national and international institutions to focus on these two points to ensure long-term results, including greater involvement of African countries in local training and greater cooperation in terms of technical support and funding.