Vascular Surgery
Girma Tefera, MD, FACS, Medical Director of the ACS Health Outreach Program for Equity in Global Surgery (ACS H.O.P.E.) visited the Kigali, Rwanda collaborative hub in July at King Faisal Hospital (KFH) to support the ongoing development of vascular surgery in the region. This effort is part of a broader collaboration aimed at enhancing local capacities in vascular surgery through targeted training and resource enhancement.
Together with Dr. David Karenzi—a Rwandan trainee in vascular surgery and a Fellow at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia—they evaluated 25 patients and performed eight surgeries, including a complex abdominal aortic aneurysm procedure. The rest of their work involved developing access to dialysis—a critical service for patients undergoing hemodialysis.
Dr. Tefera’s visit also identified several areas for improvement within the hospital’s vascular surgery capabilities. There continues to be an immediate need to replenish essential supplies, such as various grafts and suture materials, to maintain the provision of lifesaving surgeries.
Notably, the recent acquisition of a portable C-Arm device will add value to the intraoperative assessment of most vascular procedures at KFH.
Upon the return of two Rwandan general surgeons training in vascular surgery, the development of a vascular surgery fellowship is critical. Efforts are underway to draft a curriculum and introduce the discipline of vascular surgery into the training programs at the University of Rwanda in Kigali. These initiatives are aimed at developing a sustainable vascular surgical practice.
Plastic Surgery
Donald Mackay, MD, FACS, and Duncan Mackay, MD, who are father and son, visited Kigali, Rwanda, this summer to contribute to the development of plastics and maxillofacial surgery in the area through a focused general plastics/burn visiting professorship.
They engaged in a comprehensive preoperative evaluation and treated a total of 15 patients, primarily focusing on burn contracture treatments and skin grafts, along with cases of syndactyly and Dupuytren's disease. This visit not only provided essential surgical interventions for patients in need but also continued to advance the local capacity and expertise in managing complex plastic and reconstructive challenges, further establishing a foundation for ongoing development and training in this critical area of surgical care.
Trauma
In partnership with the ACS Committee on Trauma, Advanced Trauma Life Support® (ATLS®) promulgation is scheduled in this area for February or March 2025. This activity is supported by Region 17 in collaboration with the Hawassa Surgical Collaborative, which became an ATLS training site in February 2023. This initiative is a notable example of South-South collaboration.
Cardiothoracic Surgery
During 2024, the ACS H.O.P.E. team collaborated with KFH to develop the curriculum for the first cardiothoracic fellowship training program in Rwanda. The program is expected to receive approval from the Rwandan Higher Education Council before the year-end, with enrollment beginning in 2025. It aligns with requirements from the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA), enabling trainees to achieve certification from both the Rwanda Ministry of Health and COSECSA.
Please note that trips by ACS Fellows (FACS) were paused this fall due to a Marburg virus outbreak but will resume in 2025. From November 2023 to November 2024, we managed three mentoring trips. Further development of the general thoracic component is planned at both KFH and the Rwanda Military Hospital, including advanced surgical techniques brought by a Rwandan surgeon upon their return from training in Morocco in July 2025.
We also continue to support the program through weekly virtual case conferences between the KFH surgeon and FACS team members.
