Report on PAPSA Meeting, Abidjan, Cote Ivoire 25-31st May 2025
Nuffield Department of Surgery, Global Surgery Group was invited to the Pan African Paediatric Surgery Association (PAPSA) to provide preconference courses on Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS), Research seminar, Trauma course with Global Initiative of Children’s Surgery (GICS) and neonatal skills course with British Association of Paediatric Surgeons (BAPS). The team led by Prof. Kokila Lakhoo included: Gerlin Naidoo (D Phil student), Dennis Mazingi (D Phil student), Mama Ntiriwa (D Phil Student), Soham Bandyopadhay (senior researcher), Mohammed Salim (Tanzania-Oxford collaborator). The team also participated in the biennial PAPSA conference.
PAPSA represents paediatric surgeons from all parts of Africa.
Hugh Greenwood Neonatal skills course (full day)
Dr Haitham Dagash (BAPS) and Prof Lakhoo led the course with faculty from the Oxford team, Dr Niyi Ade-Ajayi from King’s College Hospitals and senior consultant from South Africa, Sudan, Ghana and Tanzania. We remembered Mr Hugh Greenwood fondly for his donation and support for Global Surgery for many years especially education for countries with less resources. We had 35 candidates attending ranging from medical students to senior consultants. The senior consultants came in the training the trainer capacity. Four simulation models made from chicken tissue were prepared the day before to simulate neonatal bowel anastomosis, duodenal atresia repair, gastrostomy and trachea-oesophageal fistula + oesophageal atresia. The last hour was a workshop on management of gastroschisis.
Most popular was the hands-on workshop led by Dr Mohamed Salim on pre hospital and in hospital care of gastroschisis ,using the bedside sutureless technique without theatre, anaesthesia or total parenteral nutrition.
The candidates showed a lot of enthusiasm and drive to learn more from this course. Medical students and early year trainees concentrated on tissue and instrument handling whereas the middle grade and senior trainees concentrated on the simulated birth defect models. The feed back for course content, faculty teaching methods and model selection was over 95% positive. The need for a 2-day course, videos to put on line and include urology simulation models were requested. Overall, a very positive outcome with candidate satisfaction and training of 5 more future faculty from Sub Saharan Africa. The gastroschisis workshop was most popular.
POCUS Course (half day)
Led by Gerlin Naidoo and Mohamed Salim. This was a half day course. There were 28 candidates who attended, all trainees and consultants from paediatric surgery and accident & emergency department. Medical students acted as actor patients and there were life demonstrations of using the ultrasound probes and understanding how to read the image on the screen. This basic course has become very popular for demand to take this to other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Positive feedback for over 93%. On this occasion we only had 2 machines for demonstration and participation. Request has been made for more stations to give all the participants equal opportunity for hands on work. Extend the course to a whole day.
Research Seminar (Half Day)
Led by Dennis Mazingi and Gerlin Naidoo with support from Mama Ntiriwa and Soham Bandyopadhay. The topics covered were, how to get involved in research, case report and case series write up, ethics, audits and quality improvement projects which lead to research, data management and systematic reviews. Candidates were 32 in number and there were a mixed skills of early researchers and advance researchers. The case report, audit and quality improvement gave the early researchers a lot of confidence that as trainees with busy clinical workload, they will be able to participate in research.
Advance researchers wished for a separate advance research seminar. If time permits to the next preconference invite, we could separate the early and advance researchers into a half day or full day course for each ability. Feedback was overwhelming positive for 97% with great enthusiasm for quality improvement projects.
Trauma Course (Full day)
This was the first trauma course developed by colleagues from low-middle income countries as part of the Primary Trauma Care course but now specific for children.
The course was led by Dr. Abdelbasit from Sudan as part of the GICS initiative and Dr Dennis Mazingi and Prof Lakhoo participated in the sessions. Other faculty were from Nigeria,South Africa and Cote Ivoire. The course was mixed lectures and hands on simulations for trauma. Well received with need for more simulation and decrease lecture content. Participant numbers were 19 in total.
PAPSA Conference
Two-day conference with theme of capacity building and sustainability for paediatric Surgery in Africa. The conference was mixed with invited lectures, panel discussions, free papers, specific trainee sessions and nurse led sessions. Over 100 participants from all over Africa . Prof Lakhoo spoke on the history of PAPSA and Dr. Dennis Mazingi and Mama Ntiriwa were active participants in the meeting.
Report prepared by Prof Kokila Lakhoo
Professor of Global Paediatric Surgery