Anesthesia in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa: an overview

The situation of Anesthesiology in Sub-Saharan Africa is unique in that nowhere else in the world has the absolute numbers of anesthesiologists decreased during the nineties. Most anesthesia services to the populations of these 17 poor countries are provided by nurse-anesthetists, either certified or trained on the job. Their mean age often exceeds 40, which leads to expect an acute shortage within fifteen years. Experienced anesthesiologists are now so few that, in most countries, the critical mass of knowledgeable specialists no longer exists to train new anesthesia professionals. This summary of local surveys provides a brief overview of current workforce, institutions, drugs and material constituting the daily environment of our colleagues. Challenges are outlined, with special emphasis on brain drain. Solutions are proposed, underlining the promising role of a few anesthesia schools, the need for young anesthesiologists to enter teaching, and the expectations they are supposed to meet.