Top

Published in:

01-12-2024 | Correspondence

The current state, advancements and challenges of neurosurgical care in Rwanda - a short report

Authors: Inibehe Ime Okon, Ibad Ur Rehman, Malik Olatunde Oduoye, Elysée Byiringiro, Usoro Udousoro Akpan, Esther Edet Bassey, Vérité Cyubahiro, Florence Umutoni, Aymar Akilimali, Menelas Nkeshimana

Published in: Neurosurgical Review | Issue 1/2024

Highlights

Rwanda is an East African country with an estimated population of 13 million, and in December 2021, 6 neurosurgeons and a number of trainees were recorded.

Rwanda faces a scarcity of neurosurgical services, with limited access to specialized care for patients suffering from disorders of the nervous system.

All medical schools in Rwanda should encourage medical students and other paramedical students to engage in neurosurgical research, especially as their final-year undergraduate projects, either as community-based studies or laboratory studies.

Rosenfeld JV (1997) Neurosurgery in Rwanda during a United Nations peace-keeping mission. Mil Med 162(5):311–314CrossRefPubMed

Kanmounye US, Robertson FC, Thango NS, Doe AN, Bankole NDA, Ginette PA et al (2021) Needs of young African neurosurgeons and residents: a cross-sectional study. Front Surg 8:647279CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Sader E, Yee P, Hodaie M (2017) Assessing barriers to Neurosurgical Care in Sub-saharan Africa: the role of resources and infrastructure. World Neurosurg 98:682–688e3CrossRefPubMed

Tang OY, Uwamahoro C, González Marqués C, Beeman A, Odoom E, Ndebwanimana V et al (2023) Trends in Neurotrauma Epidemiology, Management, and outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kigali, Rwanda. J Neurotrauma 40(5–6):536–546CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Whiffin CJ, Smith BG, Esene IN, Karekezi C, Bashford T, Mukhtar Khan M et al (2021) Neurosurgeons’ experiences of conducting and disseminating clinical research in low-income and middle-income countries: a reflexive thematic analysis. BMJ Open 11(9):e051806CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Budohoski KP, Ngerageza JG, Austard B, Fuller A, Galler R, Haglund M et al (2018) Neurosurgery in East Africa: innovations. World Neurosurg 113:436–452CrossRefPubMed

Lartigue JW, Dada OE, Haq M, Rapaport S, Sebopelo LA, Ooi SZ et al (2021) Emphasizing the role of neurosurgery within Global Health and National Health systems: a call to action. Front Surg 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsurg.2021.690735

Barthélemy EJ, Diouf SA, Silva AC, Abu-Bonsrah N, de Souza IA, Kanmounye US et al (2023) Historical determinants of neurosurgical inequities in Africa and the African diaspora: a review and analysis of Coloniality. PLOS Global Public Health 3(2)

Karekezi C, El Khamlichi A, El Ouahabi A, El Abbadi N, Ahokpossi SA, Ahanogbe KM et al (2020) The impact of African-trained neurosurgeons on sub-saharan africa. NeuroSurg Focus 48(3)

10.

Miller P (2022) Inspirational women in surgery: Dr Claire Karekezi, Neurosurgeon, Rwanda. World J Surg 46(9):2061–2062CrossRef

11.

Nshuti S, Guterman B, Hakizimana D, Buramba E, Fabrice M, Muneza S et al (2020) Long-term systematic outcome assessment of patients following spine surgery in Rwanda: the use of patient reported outcome tools. Neurol Neurobiol 1–11

12.

Robertson FC, Gnanakumar S, Karekezi C, Vaughan K, Garcia RM, Abou E, Ela Bourquin B et al (2020) The world federation of neurosurgical societies young neurosurgeons survey (part II): barriers to professional development and service delivery in neurosurgery. World Neurosurg X 8(100084):100084CrossRefPubMed

13.

Ferreira T, Awuah WA, Tan JK, Adebusoye FT, Ali SH, Bharadwaj HR et al (2023) The current landscape of intracranial aneurysms in Africa: management outcomes, challenges, and strategies—a narrative review. Neurosurg Rev 46(1)

14.

Mukhopadhyay S, Punchak M, Rattani A, Hung Y-C, Dahm J, Faruque S et al (2019) The global neurosurgical workforce: a mixed-methods assessment of density and growth. J Neurosurg 130(4):1142–1148CrossRefPubMed

Title: The current state, advancements and challenges of neurosurgical care in Rwanda - a short report
Authors: Inibehe Ime Okon
Ibad Ur Rehman
Malik Olatunde Oduoye
Elysée Byiringiro
Usoro Udousoro Akpan
Esther Edet Bassey
Vérité Cyubahiro
Florence Umutoni
Aymar Akilimali
Menelas Nkeshimana
Publication date: 01-12-2024
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Neurosurgical Review / Issue 1/2024
Print ISSN: 0344-5607
Electronic ISSN: 1437-2320
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10143-024-02453-6

2024 ASCO Annual Meeting

Springer Medicine

The current state, advancements and challenges of neurosurgical care in Rwanda - a short report

Highlights

2024 ASCO Annual Meeting

Springer Medicine

Highlights

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 1/2024

Endovascular treatment of brain aneurysms under conscious sedation: a systematic review of procedural feasibility and safety

Cauda equina neuroendocrine tumor: a report of three cases and review of the literature with focus on differential diagnosis and postoperative management

Exploring the influence of nasal morbidity on quality of life following endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery: a retrospective cohort study of 95 patients

Pre-operative predictors of post-operative seizure control in low-grade glioma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Utility of the LACE index to assess risk of mortality and readmission in patients with spinal infections

Letter to editor: gender gap in deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease: preliminary results of a retrospective study