Wessex Partnerships and Connections

Future Faces was set up by Mr Tony Markus, Craniomaxillofacial Surgeon in Poole and Bournemouth. Its primary aim is to support the training and development of all professionals involved in the management of patients with cleft lip and palate and craniofacial developmental conditions as well as other craniomaxillofacial problems. It developed its first Craniofacial Centre in Dharwad, Karnatika and further ones in Hyderabad and Managalore, and in 2017, a Craniofacial Centre in Janakpur, Nepal. Contact details can be found here.  

Guidance on NHS Involvement in International Development   Many individuals working in the NHS have provided support to developing countries through volunteer work for many years. Several Hospital and Community Trusts have also established ongoing institutional links with partners in developing countries. However, guidance on the issues involved in developing health partnerships and standards that NHS staff should aspire to when working abroad were not available at the time of the Millenium Declaration and the subsequent development of UK Government Policies. Various reports and guidance have since been published to address this. The reports include : -    a) Humanitarian and Health Work Tookit   The Humanitarian and Health Work Toolkit was early guidance published by the Department of Health in 2003 to help strengthen the capacity and capability of the NHS in England to assist with international development and humanitarian emergencies. It raised issues surrounding the release of health professionals from the NHS to work abroad on humanitarian and health development initiatives and the benefits that such work can bring, not only to the NHS but also to patients and the professional development of the individuals themselves.   b) Statement of Academy of Medical Royal Colleges on Volunteering   The Statement on Volunteering in 2013 reflected the fact that all the colleges supporting professional training and standards (medical, nursing and midwifery) also recognised the value of placements abroad for both clinical experience and leadership development. However, it noted that there were barriers to gaining this experience. The statement encourages Colleges to take steps overcome the barriers and make it easier for health professionals to volunteer.    c) Volunteering and Improving Health at Home and Abroad   "Improving Health at Home and Abroad : How overseas volunteering from the NHS benefits the UK and the world" was a report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health published in July, 2013. It recognised the benefits of health volunteering both to the NHS and abroad and also identified some of the difficulties staff had in being able to volunteed.    It identified ten characteristics of "volunteering for impact", which are the features of the best programmes and policies that should be spread everywhere over the next 10 years. The headings for these are :    Not just permitted, but encouraged A pipeline of NHS partnerships All the talents involved Supply matched to demand Supportive employers Less fragmentation Global health expertise valued More volunteers in scaled-up schemes Better trained volunteers Volunteering in UK policy   The report also recommended three key actions to improve the support given to staff, the co-ordination of programmes and the national policy environment.    d) Engaging in Global Health : the framework for voluntary engagement in global health by the UK health sector   Published in July 2014, Engaging in Global Health picked up the recommendations in the "Improving Health at Home and Abroad" report and also recognised the value of volunteering, the benefits that arise both professionally and personally and also the benefits that accrue to the NHS as a consequence. It provides greater clarity on how NHS agencies and individuals can best maximise their potential to contribute in a sustainable and appropriate way to capacity building in developing countries.   A key set of principles underpin the framework - that activities are driven by the needs of low and middle income countries, aligned with national, district or local health plans, coordinated adequately, evidence-based and sustainable and developed in partnership.   The Framework takes forward several of the recommendations of the All Parliamentary Group on Global Health and sets out proposed standards in five main areas.    Effectiveness: including the key principles for effective voluntary engagement in global health;  Organisational commitment: including the vital role of UK employers and professional associations;  Support for volunteers: including preparation and support for the whole volunteer journey;  Health values and ethics: the importance of an ethical approach including the values that motivate those who volunteer;  Monitoring, evaluation and learning: highlighting the need to assess impact, improve effectiveness and learn from best practice.    The document provides an essential read for anyone considering or is already involved in a health partnership with a low of middle income country.   e) Learning from the Experiences of Links that have already been established   For anyone considering setting up a Link, the independent  Evaluation of Links between North and South Healthcare Organisations provides helpful information about what to look out for when setting up a Link. The evaluation was carried out on behalf of the Department for International Development.    f) The Tropical Health Education Trust   The Tropical Health Education Trust is an organisation that helps forge long term links between health institutions in developing countries and their counterparts in the UK .   THET's vision is to build Links between UK health institutionsequivalent health care institutions in other parts of the world. Overseas partners identify their priorities for strengthening their health services.  THET responds by linking them with a health institution in the UK that has the knowledge and skills to help them to address these priorities. Once the Link has been established  THET continues to provide advice and support, such as accessing funding, evaluation and networking, and we connect Links with Government strategy.   g) Students in Health Partnerships Toolkit   Launched in September, 2018, by a partnership between the Tropical Health Education Trust and Students for Global Health, the Students in Health Partnerships Toolkit provides guidance and ideals for involving students in global health partnerships.  

  The Tropical Health Education Trust (THET) is probably the most valuable source of information about UK Links with countries abroad. Below are examples of well established arrangements in different parts of the UK.      Partnerships nearby to Wessex   Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust and Ethiopia   The Addis-Bucks VISION 2020 Link was established in June 2009 and was set to run for 3 years. The link is part of the VISION 2020 project which is overseen by the International Centre for Eye Health and the eye unit at Stoke Mandeville is one of many UK eye units involved in such partnerships with units in Africa. The clinical priorities include, vitreo-retinal training, paediatric service support (orthoptics and paediatric anaesthesia) and nurse training.   (VISION 2020 : The Right to Sight is a global programme established by the World Health organisation and International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness to eliminate avoidable blindness worldwide.)   Northampton Healthcare Foundation Trust and Brian Lemons Hospital, Zimbabwe   This partnership with the Brian Lemons Hospital in Zimbabwe began in 2017. The hospital was completed in 2002 and sees around 5,000 patients each month. The partnership received a start up grant from the Tropical Health Education Trust to conduct a Needs Assessment in Management, Leadership and Clinical Skills.   Contact Itai Nyamatore (itainyamatore@hotmail.com) for more information.    Radcliffe Hospital (Oxford) and Kilimanjaro   “OK Links” are links between Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi, Tanzania. KCMC is a hospital of just under 500 beds providing comprehensive care as a teaching hospital for 11 million people. “OK Links” represents links in a variety of clinical (eg nursing, medicine/surgery, radiology/radiography) and non-clinical (engineering) departments in these two institutions. The emphasis is on the two-way transfer of skills through teaching and training. Staff from Oxford make annual visits to KCMC and trainees from KCMC come to Oxford to learn specific skills. There is also a two-way movement of medical students on electives.   Royal Berkshire NHS Trust - Uganda and other places   The Royal Berkshire NHS Trust has set up a partnership link with Kisiizi Hospital, Uganda. Various consultants, midwives, nurses and junior doctors at the Royal Berkshire Hospital have provided support to Uganda after one of their midwives went to work at Kisiizi Hospital, South West Uganda in 1999. Five teams went out in 2010 and they are hoping to send a similar number in 2011.   Other consultants have visited Nepal for ENT work, India (surgery and anaesthetics), Albania (surgery).   Kisiizi Hospital also has a partnership with the Cheshire and Wirral Foundation Trust.    South West Global Health Collaborative    The South West Global Health Collaborative was set up in 2016 to bring together individuals and organisations, across Plymouth and the wider South West, who have an interest in or are already working in, global health.    The collaborative operates within the Plymouth Institute of Health and Care Research (PIHR) in the Faculty of Health, and aims to share learning, enable new international health partnerships to be set up, and increase both global health education and work/ experience opportunities for health professionals of all levels, both in international and 'locally global' settings.   Corbis - Sussex Global Health   Corbis - Sussex Global Health is a multi-disciplinary consortium of global health academics, research and practitioners based at the University of Sussex and formed in 2016. It brings those involved in global health matters together, fostering an engaging, forward-thinking global health community in Brighton. It hosts the Global Health and Development Conference on an annual basis, showcasing the leading contemporary thinking, approaches and best practice in tackling global health and development challenges.     Selection of other UK Links   London International Development Centre (LIDC)   The London International Development Centre was formed In 2007 when the University of London's Bloomsbury Colleges (Birkbeck, UCL Institute of Education, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Royal Vetinary College and SOAS) decided that their contribution would be more effective if they collaborated. They pooled their resources to create the LIDC, which facilitates interdisciplinary research and training to tackle complex problems in international development. Membership is for students, staff and alumni.   Centre for Global Health and Health Partnerships, King's College London   The King’s Centre for Global Health and Health Partnerships is a joint centre for King’s College London and King’s Health Partners, bringing together people working and studying at the university and Guy’s and St. Thomas’, King’s College Hospital, and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts. is two key functions are to    promote collaboration in global health across the wider King’s community - all 9 Schools within King’s College London and all 21 Clinical Academic Groups within King’s Health Partners develop a clear focus of activities across global health education, research, health partnerships and global surgery.    Cambridge Global Health Partnerships    Cambridge Global Health Partnerships  supports healthcare staff in all roles to volunteer with healthcare providers overseas, either through our own global health partnerships or with other established organisations.The aim is to enable sustainable change and to develop projects that address local needs.   It has health partnerships with hospitals and governments across the world, in addition to support and advice services for global health engagement that are available across the Cambridge healthcare community.   Knowledge for Change    Knowledge for Change is a charity hosted by the University of Salford in Manchester that has been working for more than 10 years in Uganda to help improve the health services offered to patients and ensure better standards of care. It’s core values centre around ethical, sustainable and mutually beneficial improvements in health infrastructure and the capacity of staff and students in the UK and LMICs. Its work includes professional volunteering and student placements.    Leicester University/University Hospitals Trust and Gondar, Ethiopia   The Leicester-Gondar Link has twinned the Gondar College of Medical Sciences (now the Faculty of Health at the University of Gondar) with the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and the Faculty of Medicine, University of Leicester. Health professionals in Leicester respond to requests from their opposite numbers in Gondar, and transfer skills by means of exchange visits, and over the internet.    North to North Health Partnership   The North to North Partnership for Health ( N2N ) is a strategic health link between NHS in  Yorkshire and Humber, North West and Scotland to the north of Pakistan. It grew out of a desire by NHS staff in Yorkshire and Humber and the North West of England to go to the aid of family and colleagues in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan following the earthquake in October 2005. The earthquake devastated the local healthcare system and the Government of Pakistan was keen to find partners prepared to support reconstruction efforts over the long term.   Knowledge for Change    Knowledge for Change is a charity hosted by the University of Salford in Manchester that has been working for more than 10 years in Uganda to help improve the health services offered to patients and ensure better standards of care. It’s core values centre around ethical, sustainable and mutually beneficial improvements in health infrastructure and the capacity of staff and students in the UK and LMICs. Its work includes professional volunteering and student placements.    England : The International Health Group   The International Health Group was established in the period of the NHS when there were Strategic Health Authorities Its purpose was to provide a meeting point between representatives from the NHS, Department for International Development (DfID), the International Division of the Department of Health and certain charitable groups e.g. Tropical Health Education Trust to exchange information about what they were doing in relation to global health.   Successive government reorganisations have not diminish the need for and value of the connections formed and the group now has a broader representation and is chaired by Health Education England (HEE). More information can be obtained from HEE's Technical Collaboration and Consultancy Team.    Wales : The Wales Centre for Health and Global Health   The Policy and International Health Directorate within Public Health Wales supports the development of, and advocates for policies to improve health and well-being and reduce inequalities in Wales and globally.   The International Health Co-ordination Centre (IHCC) is a whole-of-Wales programme of work, bringing together all Health Boards and NHS Trusts. It promotes and facilitates international health partnerships, serving as a focal point for information sharing, knowledge exchange, collaboration and networking across the UK, Europe and the world.   Hub Cymru Wales is a partnership supporting the Wales and Africa community, bringing together the work of the Wales and Africa Health Links Network, the Sub-Saharan Advisory Panel and Fair Trade Wales, based at the Welsh Centre for International Affairs.   Charter for International Health Partnerships in Wales  

There are several Health Partnerships between Hospital and Community Trusts in Wessex and institutions abroad that we know about and these are listed below. If you are interested in a particular country and would like to find out who else is working there, then use the map on the home page or click on the "See who is where" image at the top right of the page.      WESSEX PARTNERSHIPS    Bournemouth - Nepal Partnership    This partnership is the result of Professor Edwin van Teijlingen's longstanding research work in Nepal particularly with the Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Science (Kathmandu) and the Tribhuvan University. It focuses particularly on maternal and child health and has received grants from the Tropical Health Education Trust.    For more information, contact Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.    CRESS-UK - Kajo-Keji (South Sudan)    CRESS-UK is a church based charity working from Chalke Valley which works in partnership with the Anglican Church of South Sudan to help South Sudanese refugees in Northern Uganda become self sufficient. This is done by providing a range of education, knowledge and vocational skills required necessary to form self-sufficient, sustainable and ethical communities that do not require Western aid.   Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust (HHFT)   Global Health Hub : Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust and University of Winchester    The Global Health Hub was formed in 2022 through a collaboration between the Hospitals Trust and the University of Winchester. It brings together academic, clinical, research-based and charitable global health work. Its aim is to  make a vibrant, active and lasting contribution to global health and wellbeing and does this by providing support initiatives that are put forward. It is involved in work in Uganda, South Sudan, Tanzania and the Gambia.    Basingstoke (HHFT) - Hoima Partnership for Health (Uganda)   The Basingstoke Hoima Partnership for Health was formally set up in 2010. The Hoima Regional Referral Hospital is situated in North Western Uganda and the aim of this link is "to work with the people of Uganda to improve the delivery of healthcare". There is a particular focus on maternal care and care of the newborn.   Winchester : The Kintampo Project   The Kintampo Project was developed by Dr Mark Roberts at the Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust in 2012 with the objective to reduce the treatment gap in rural Ghana by building a community mental health workforce. It did this by training Medical Assistants (Psychiatry) and Community Mental Health Officers and the College of Health, Kintampo, Ghana.    The work is now self-sustaining having been incorporated into local training arrangements and the UK home for the project is now the Centre for Global Health, University of Winchester. A brief summary of the work can be found here. Enquiries to the Convenor for the Centre for Global Health, Dr Rachel Locke.   Winchester (HHFT) - Yei Partnership (South Sudan)   The Winchester-Yei Partnership was developed as a formal relationwhip in 2010 initially between the former Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust and Yei Civil Hospital in South Sudan. It worked closely with The Brickworks and included as partners, the Martha Primary Health Care Centre and the Yei National Health Training Institute.  Its aim has been to help improve local health and healthcare in Yei and the surrounding area through training programmes delivered by UK staff to front-line health professionals in Yei.     Since 2016 civil war has made it too dangerous to visit Yei and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continues to advise against travel to South Sudan. The Covid outbreak created further challenges, but support through education and teaching was still provided for exiled South Sudanese staff who had moved to the Kajo Keji Health Institute.    As a result of all this, a review visit in the Autumn of 2022 lead to a decision to discontinue the formal link. Any future focus by the Trust in South Sudan will be through Brickworks and particularly the Martha Clinic in Yei.    The Brickworks - Yei Partnership (South Sudan)   The Brickworks - Yei Partneership is based in Winchester and supported the establishment of the community Martha Clinic, a community clinic in Yei, South Sudan. It supports health and education in primary schools in Kajo Keji. Its work is now closely connected with the link that has been established by the Winchester Hospital and the hospital in Yei.    Winchester - The Tanzania National Mesh Hernia Project    The Tanzania National Mesh Hernia Project and its link with Winchester the Hospitals Trust begun in November 2018.  The project is a collaboration with The Tanzania Surgical Association under the auspices of Madame President Catherin Mlelwa (specialist surgeon, paediatrics).   Colleagues from Hampshire Hospitals, as well as other trusts and researchers at the University of Winchester are involved in the collaboration, which involves training surgeons in the technique of mesh hernia repair in their local facility. Part of this training incorporates the preparation of affordable surgical mesh so that they can become autonomous in their delivery of service.   The project is supported by 'Surgical teams Working in aFrica Together for Safer Surgery' (SWIFTSS), which help fund the work.   Winchester - Ghana Palliative Care Partnership    This is a new joint partnership between the North Hampshire Hospitals Trust, the University of Winchester and the Government of Ghana. Its purpose is to support improvements in palliative care in Ghana. Following an information visit, the project team will collaborate on future plans to build hospices across the country whilst undertaking research and data gathering. It looks to support a future nursing and knowledge exchange programme alongside academic work over the coming years.     More information : Contact Stephanie Rossiter or Kofie Quartey.    Winchester - Kagando (Uganda) Link    This is a link between Winchester Rotary and Kagando Hospital in the Kasese District of Uganda by the Great Lakes. It is an area close to the Congo border that has been subject to civil conflict over the years. The link with the hospital is part of a wider partnership with the Great Lakes Peace Centre, which is involved in various forms of development that Winchester Rotary also supports.    Wessex Global Stroke Partnerships   Wessex Global Stroke Partnerships (WGSP) was established in 2009 through collaboration between health professionals in Wessex and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana. The partnership led to the opening of a dedicated stroke unit in 2014, the first such unit in West Africa. In 2020 a new link was established with the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in The Gambia.  We have also supported the training of nurses at the first stroke unit to open in Zambia, in 2023.   WGSP supports the development of stroke services in a way that is culturally relevant and where improvements can be objectively measured, thereby leading to real and sustainable changes in patient care. We strive to make knowledge about stroke accessible, sharing and adapting clinical and leadership skills, and work together to strengthen systems. Our ultimate goal is to improve stroke morbidity and mortality through the introduction of organised multidisciplinary care.   WGSP is hosted by the Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust - University of Winchester Global Health Hub. Is website is https://www.wgstroke.org/.   More information can be obtained from Dr Lucy Sykes (lucy.sykes@hhft.nhs.uk)             Poole Africa Link    The Poole - Africa Link is a charity link which was set up in 2009 between Poole Hospital and Wau Teaching Hospital, Southern Sudan. The aim was to help by setting up basic teaching and training programmes for nurses and midwives, and post-graduate training for doctors. Staff from Poole Hospital  donated their time and expertise to support the project by visiting Wau to carry out training and establish systems to improve ongoing support.    In 2016 the civil strife in South Sudan made it too dangerous for visits to be made and, whilst maintaining personal links, the team responded to interest in forming a partnership with Lira Hospital, Northern Uganda. This is a regional high volume referral hospital and an ongoing partnership has been developed with additional support coming from some consultants from Salisbury Hospital, Wiltshire.      Salisbury : Health Care South Sudan    Health Care South Sudan is a UK Charity based in Salisbury and partners with the South Sudan Health Association and Yo' Care South Sudan. It has extensive experience in:   building and equiping clinics supporting and training health care staff the introduction of sustainable technologies ensuring the satisfactory delivery of projects.   It works to deliver and support primary health care services and facilities in South Sudan and is involved in a participatory WASH project with a local partner.     Salisbury South Sudan Medical Link    Every Diocese of the Church of England has a link with another Diocese in the Anglican Communion. The Diocese of Salisbury is unusual in having a link with the Episcopal Church of the whole of Sudan, which spans both Sudan, North and the new country of South Sudan. The link was set up in 1972 and the Salisbury Sudan Medical Link was established in 1983. It provides particular support for staff training across a wide area of the southern part of South Sudan.      Southampton    Southampton : THET - Ethiopia NCD Alliance (THENA)    The THET Ethiopia NCD Alliance is a collaboration of charitable, academic, clinical and local government partners that work together to achieve a shared vision of a country where every person afflicted by NCDs is able to access appropriate health care. Partners include institutions in Ethiopia and the UK (the Tropical Health Education Trust, Southampton and Queen's University, Belfast).    Non-Communicable Diseases have been chosen as a focus for work as they are becoming increasingly prevalent. Rural areas have been chosen as 85% of the population live there.    Southampton : The Southampton-Ghana Partnership   The Southampton-Ghana Partnership began in 2010 as a link between a government agency, an NGO and an NHS trust. The purpose is to improve healthcare provision in the Upper East Region of Ghana, primarily through strengthening manpower and promoting skill-sharing, to make a lasting and sustainable impact. The partners were :   Ghana Health Services, the government agency responsible for healthcare delivery,  Afrikids, a child rights charity working with communities across northern Ghana,  University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust   Today, the emphasis now is on developing the University to University relationship and research partnerships.    Southampton - Mombassa Vision 2020 (Kenya)   Southampon - Mombassa Vision 2020 began in 2011 when Southampton General Hospital was approached  to see if it could support the development of ophthalmic services in a part of Mombassa. Specialists from Southampton have visited and the plan is to develop a Southampton - Kenya Eye Link as part of the Vision 2020 Global initiative. More information can be obtained from Lizzi Lewis, Ross Cahill, Samanth Palmer or Colin Elkin at the Southampton Eye Hospital.    Southampton - Nepal (Nick Simons Institute)   Anaesthetists in Southampton have formed a partnership with the Nick Simons Institute, a Nepal-based organisation that works with the Nepal Government and other institutions to support rural health workers. Isolated non-doctor anaesthetists provide the majority of anaesthesia provision at district and zonal level across the country, outside of Kathmandu and the private sector.   Southampton anaesthetists support the  non-doctor anaesthetist program and have developed educational packages including refresher courses, video library and a distance learning program. They deliver targeted on-site training and support in partnership with Institute and the Nepal Government National Health Training Centre. For more information, contact Ollie Ross.      OTHER CONNECTIONS    African Smiles    African Smiles is principally about promoting the work of Mercy Ships in Africa. Dr Keith Thompson, anaesthetist in Basingstoke, has taken a lead role in this for many years and also organises conferences in different parts of Africa.    The work of the Mercy Ships first started in 1978 and was designed to use a boat fully equiped for surgical health care to poor parts of the world. In particular the bring treatment for blindness, deformities, obstetric fistulae and dental treatment.    FAME   The Foundation for African Medicine and Education is based in Karatu, Tanzania, and was set up by an American doctor and his wife in 2002. It has now built a hospital that provides a range of services and has a  well organised programme for low income women to provide education, antenatal, natal and postnatal care. The link with Wessex is through Jonny Rust, previously a Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, who is currently volunteering at the hospital in Karatu. To find out more about his work, follow this link.    Future Faces    Future Faces was set up by Mr Tony Markus, Craniomaxillofacial Surgeon in Poole and Bournemouth. Its primary aim is to support the training and development of all professionals involved in the management of patients with cleft lip and palate and craniofacial developmental conditions as well as other craniomaxillofacial problems. It developed its first Craniofacial Centre in Dharwad, Karnatika and further ones in Hyderabad and Managalore, and in 2017, a Craniofacial Centre in Janakpur, Nepal. Contact details can be found here.   Nepal Neonatal and Emergency Paediatric Care Programme   Over the last decade there has been a large reduction in under-fives mortality in Nepal brought about largely through high-quality community-based and primary/public health interventions. However, to reduce mortality further, maternal and newborn survival needs to be increased through improved perinatal care quality.    To address this, an interagency intervention has been put together involving the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, the Paediatric Nursing Association, the Nepal Paediatric Society and the UK’s Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Global.    Dr Simon Struthers (Consultant Paediatrician from Winchester) and Dr Ollie Ross (Consultant Anaesthetist from Southampton) are playing lead roles in the UK contribution. For more information, contact Dr Simon Struthers.    Primary Trauma Care Foundation    The Primary Trauma Care Foundation was developed in 1996 and works in many countries across the world.    It exists to save lives and prevent disabilities in Low and Middle Income Countries. It teaches front-line health workers how to deliver emergency medical care with only basic equipment. Training is then cascaded by local staff to others. Mr Nigel Rossiter, Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon in Basingstoke, is the current chair of the foundation. For more information, contact Nigel Rossiter.    Sudan HIV/AIDS Working Group (SHAWG)   The Sudan HIV/AIDS Working Group (SHAWG) is a voluntary network of healthcare professionals focusing on improving the quality of HIV care as well as brokering effective transfer of HIV knowledge. It is involved in the prevention, treatment and care of HIV/AIDS in Sudan. Dr Elbushra Herieka, Consultant in GUM/HIV in Bournemouth, has been a working group member for many years. Contact Dr Herieka for more information.    Surgical Training in Africa    Bob Lane, Immediate Past President of the International Federation of Surgical Colleges and former colorectal surgeon in Wessex, has, for many years, organised basic surgical skills courses in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa. He is also Surgical Advisor to the Tropical Health Education Trust. Bob has enormous experience and extensive networks across Africa. Bob can be contacted through LinkedIn.