He urged the Government to develop a deliberate plan to expand laparoscopic surgery by training more specialists and equipping regional referral hospitals with the necessary equipment.
Sixteen lecturers from Makerere University’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology are undergoing specialised training in laparoscopic surgery at Kyabirwa Surgical Centre, in an initiative aimed at increasing access to safer and minimally invasive surgical procedures in Uganda.
The training, conducted in partnership with Makerere University, is accredited by the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), an internationally recognised surgical organisation.
The programme began with self-paced virtual theory sessions in July, followed by a week of hands-on practical training in the surgical centre’s simulation laboratory. Participants will sit a practical examination at the end of the training.
Dr Joseph Okello Damoi, the head surgeon at Kyabirwa Surgical Centre, said the training equips participants with the fundamental skills required to begin practising laparoscopic surgery.
“World over, laparoscopic surgery has been proven as a safer, better method of delivering surgeries to patients for the procedures where it applies,” Damoi said.
“This course teaches you the basics, what you need to know in order to be ready to practice laparoscopic surgery.”
The training has attracted 16 lecturers from Makerere University, together with doctors from Gulu and Jinja Regional Referral Hospitals.
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Anna Kalumuna, the executive director of Global Surgical Initiatives at Kyabirwa Surgical Centre, said the facility is among the accredited SAGES centres able to conduct both training and certification examinations.
“We have partnered with Makerere University, the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department, to do a skills enhancement for the lecturers. At the end of the hands-on, we will administer the exam on behalf of SAGES and hopefully they will pass and can be certified in what we call Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery,” Kalumuna said.
She said the certification is internationally recognised and could help strengthen the capacity of Ugandan health professionals to provide minimally invasive surgical services.
Samuel Banturaki, the simulation laboratory coordinator and Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery proctor at Kyabirwa, said having an accredited training centre in Uganda would reduce the financial burden previously faced by doctors who had to travel abroad for similar programmes.
“Before we became accredited as a training and testing centre, participants or surgeons who wanted a similar programme could travel overseas. Looking at accommodation, travel and flights, it was costly,” Banturaki said.
He said the simulation laboratory also provides trainees with a safe environment in which they can develop their skills before operating on patients.
“Here they are in a position to learn in a risk-free environment where you are able to make all your errors before you ever step into the theatre,” he added.
Associate Professor Nakalembe Mariam, head of Makerere University’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, said the university entered the partnership to ensure that lecturers acquire skills they can pass on to medical students and future specialists.
“Being people from the centre of training for medical students at undergraduate and postgraduate level, a lot of students pass through our hands. So, as we keep passing on these skills, wherever they go, they will be able to pass on the skills,” Nakalembe said.
She noted that Uganda has been slow in adopting minimal-access surgery, partly because of the high cost of equipment and limited opportunities for specialised training.
However, she said increased training would help expand the availability of laparoscopic procedures across the country.
Damoi said the number of laparoscopic surgeons in Uganda remains low, with most of them concentrated in Kampala and a few private hospitals.
“Most of the laparoscopic surgeons are found in Kampala. Maybe a number of the big private hospitals have laparoscopic surgeons. The public hospitals, I’m not sure if they have the services routinely running,” he said.
He said training gynaecology lecturers could have a wider impact because of their role in educating medical students and postgraduate trainees.
“Definitely this will boost the number. But more than that, being gynaecology lecturers, it will have a ripple effect as they are able to teach it to their students,” Damoi said.
He urged the Government to develop a deliberate plan to expand laparoscopic surgery by training more specialists and equipping regional referral hospitals with the necessary equipment.
“The benefits of laparoscopic surgery are well known, well documented, well researched, and well published. So definitely the Government should come up with a plan to scale it up in the country,” Damoi said.
He added that regional referral hospitals should be prioritised, with the possibility of eventually extending the service to district hospitals.
Laparoscopic surgery, commonly known as keyhole surgery, involves making small incisions through which specialised instruments and a camera are inserted to perform an operation.
According to Kalumuna, the technique can offer patients several benefits, including smaller incisions, reduced bleeding, faster recovery, shorter hospital stays, earlier return to work and less scarring.
Kyabirwa Surgical Centre has previously conducted similar training for surgeons from public and private hospitals, as well as trainees under the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA).
Another group of about 30 surgeons is expected to undergo a similar course at the centre in October.
Officials said the collaboration with Makerere University is the centre’s first formal university partnership of its kind and could pave the way for additional training programmes, including courses in the fundamentals of endoscopy.