Over 85 fellows from over 14 African countries on the 5^th December 2018 graduated in different disciplines of surgery under the College of surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA).  The graduates hailed from Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Egypt, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Tanzania and 10 of them from Rwanda. The disciplines they graduated in include; Urology, pediatric orthopedics, neurosurgery, orthopedics, Ear Nose and Throat, plastic and general surgeries.

At the graduation, health minister Dr. Diane Gashumba reminded the graduates of how important the surgery aspect was essential to achieving Universal Healthcare for all.

“We recognise that surgical & anesthesia care is a critical component of building strong health care systems.  This is a big achievement and you are called to serve the population in surgical needs in your respective countries. Also train the younger ones because we still need surgical workforce to meet the surgical burden in our countries,” cautioned Dr. Diane Gashumba.

The graduation happened after over 140 surgical trainees (examinees), 120 examiners and more than 300 surgeons from the region and beyond converged in Rwanda to run examinations from 3rd to 4th December.

Also COSECSA conducted their annual general meeting and scientific conference in Rwanda after the graduation. The scientific conference featured topics like; Surgical infections and safety, the national surgical, anesthesia and obstetric plans. The conference brought together researchers, healthcare providers, academicians, policy makers to share latest surgery developments on surgical infections and safety in the context of global access to surgery and anesthesia. The minister of health said the conference was timely.

“Hosting the COSECSA conference today aligns with our wish to keep the conversation alive and provide an adequate environment for innovation ideas to improve surgery and safety,” she said.

The College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) is non-profit making professional body that fosters postgraduate education in surgery and provides surgical training throughout the East, Central and Southern Africa region. The College delivers a common surgical training programme with a common examination and an internationally recognized surgical qualification in its Membership programme in Basic Surgery and Fellowship Programme in Orthopedics; Pediatric orthopedics; ENT; Urology; Pediatric Surgery; Neurosurgery; Cardiothoracic; Plastic Surgery and General Surgery.

The college has created a training pathway which harnesses existing, but often underutilized resources (hospitals and surgeons) for surgical training. In addition to advancing education and training, the college is also involved in advancing standards of practice and research in surgical care. The College currently operates 12 countries in the Sub-Saharan region: Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.