Children Only

Last weekend it was all about kids. 6 visiting faculty collaborated with about 15 local neurosurgeon consultants, Senior Specialists, and nursing leaders to teach? 300 medics and nurses about paediatric neurosurgery.? This is the second local ISPN course in 5 years, and Ghana is the first country in Africa to host it twice.? It was a special time of camaraderie, learning, and inspiration.? Neurosurgery is a truly amazing field, and the last 20 years have been testament to persistent practitioners, compassionate advocates - all neurosurgeons dedicated to making the world a better place for people with neurosurgical challenges.

We started off with media engagements, 2 interviews in two radio stations just before the course started. The opening ceremony was short, with the Director General of the Ghana Health Service as guest of honour and the Rector of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons as the Chairman. The Dean of the Medical School was also there, along with the leaders of Neurosurgery in Ghana, with messages of solidarity.? There was a half-day workshop on ultrasound in neurosurgery, and then 2 days of didactic lectures, punctuated by eventful lunch times, jazz evenings and a course dinner of dance and award presentations. It was refreshing to see conversations starting between professors of neurosurgery and medical students.? It was heartwarming to see the lights go on in the eyes of the residents as they watched senior neurosurgeons from high income environments discuss cases they had done, in ways that they had only read in textbooks.

The young brain is still growing, and has its own group of problems, ranging all the way from abnormal development, to tumour formation, infection, and unique ways of dealing with trauma.? There were lectures dealing with operations of the foetus in the womb, using cameras to locate small targets deep in the inner recesses of the brain, new ways of classifying tumour for more accurate treatment, and more.? In the long run, it was a buffet of new knowledge in paediatric neurosurgery served with sincerity and depth of knowledge in a collegial atmosphere.

The International Society of Paediatric Neurosurgeons represents more than 500 paediatric neurosurgeons round the globe involved in various levels of specialised neurosurgical care in more than 60 countries. Most of these neurosurgeons are in high income countries. SubSaharan Africa has the highest number of children of all the continents, but the lowest number of fellowship trained paediatric neurosurgeons.? In Ghana there are 26 neurosurgeons and 3 fellowship trained paediatric neurosurgeons.? Of all the continents Africa would benefit the most from ramping up the number of neurosurgeons with the capacity to operate on children.

This course has been held in Ethiopia this year, and Ghana was the next stop.? It is anticipated that equipping neurosurgeons on the continent with the right skills for dealing with children, will enhance care for generations of children, and secure a future for our continent.? We have a long way to go when it comes to infrastructure for neurosurgery and the burden cannot be the government’s alone.? It was refreshing to see private sector interest in this course, as it was jointly hosted by the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Accra Medical Centre.? It was obvious that there is a lot of work to do

If neurosurgery must meet the need that the continent has. There is no other way than to keep plugging away, one step at a time, and not give up.

We have too many amazing Ghanaian children, to even contemplate giving up..