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Paediatric Anaesthesia Training in Africa (PATA)

The problem

Children in Africa are 100 times more likely to die after surgery than in high-income countries.

Evidence shows that anaesthesia-related deaths are a major contributing factor to child mortality rates in Africa.

A lack of skilled anaesthesia providers—including those trained as leaders in paediatric anaesthesia—is a significant contributor.

The fix

Investing in paediatric care in Africa is vital to improving care for children in Africa

The Paediatric Anaesthesia Training in Africa (PATA) seeks to tackle this problem head-on by building education capacity for pediatric anaesthesia training at teaching hospitals across Africa.

PATA supports African anaesthesiologists to undertake 12-month paediatric anaesthesia fellowships in 4 African countries, – Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria, and Uganda.

PATA Fellowships are undertaken by trained anaesthesia providers who want to develop their skills and career in paediatric anesthesia. Returning fellows are leaders for anaesthesia once they return to their home countries.

WFSA fellowships have a lasting impact both on the skills and professional development of the individuals and also their colleagues and patients back home.

The impact

In its first 5 years, PATA will increase the number of trained paediatric anaesthesiologists in the participant countries by over 200%. It will also train more than 500 non-physician anaesthesia professionals.

It is estimated that more than 3 million children will benefit from the skills developed by PATA graduates.

The ask

Roughly 40% of the population of Africa is under the age of 12. That’s 560 million children. We have to expand PATA. We have to train more paediatric anaesthesiologists in more countries. We need your support to build PATA’s momentum.

Donate to support PATA

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About PATA

The programme teachers a standardized context-appropriate paediatric anaesthesia curriculum, including interactive e-learning modules and establishing paediatric anaesthesia fellowship programmes using a staged model in partnership with local training institutions and professional societies.

PATA is a partnership between Smile Train, The ELMA Foundation, African Mission Healthcare-Kenya, Association of Anesthesiologists of Uganda, Boston Children’s Hospital, Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, National Hospital Abuja, University of Cape Town, University of Nairobi, University of Zambia, Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, and WFSA.

For more information, contact lauren.hyland@wfsahq.org

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