Every year on 16th October, anaesthesia professionals the world over celebrate and highlight the vital role that anaesthesia plays in global health.
News Category: Africa
WFSA Statement at 71st WHO Regional Committee for Africa
WFSA Council member, Dr Phillipe Mavoungou highlighted the importance of digital technology for
delivering positive health outcomes at the 71st WHO Regional Committee for Africa.
Member in Focus – The South African Society of Anaesthesiologists
SASA CEO, Natalie Zimmelman, discusses how WFSA membership facilitates SASA’s work to strengthen anaesthesia provision in South Africa and across Africa.
Strengthening Anaesthesia Care in The Gambia
Access to safe, affordable anaesthesia and surgery should be a universal right, but in countries like The Gambia, there is a significant shortage of health personnel, which leads to a major obstacle in the provision of surgical and anaesthesia services. With less than one physician per 20,000 inhabitants, The Gambia falls well below the WHO African Region average of nearly five physicians per 20,000 inhabitants. Most notably, 80% of practicing physicians within the country are not Gambian nationals.
Strengthening anaesthesia provision in Tanzania
With less than 50 physician-level anaesthesiologists to cover a population of over 58 million Tanzania, like many countries, has a severe shortage of trained anaesthesia providers. This is especially evident when seen in the light of the WHO-WFSA International Standards for a Safe Practice of Anesthesia which highly-recommends a minimum of 5 anaesthesia providers per 100,000 people. Tanzania makes up for this shortfall through the use of non-physician anaesthesia providers to deliver the majority of anaesthesia provision.
