THE University of Zimbabwe has been commended for setting up the International Centre for Surgical Simulation (UZICSS) which shall become a game-changer with its laparoscopic or key-hole surgery curricula for local and regional students.
By Kudakwashe Pembere
Specialist surgeons from Zimbabwe, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the United States, Namibia, and Uganda are in the country for a symposium and training of keen students who want to specialize and enhance their skills of laparoscopic surgery.
Speaking to HealthTimes on the sidelines of a surgical symposium which ended Saturday, UZ Professorial chair of surgical sciences Professor Godfrey Muguti said they have had speakers from the United Kingdom, the United States, South Africa and Namibia as well as local specialist surgeons sharing their expertise in minimal invasive surgery.
“On this occasion we are witnessing the inaugural international workshop at this centre. This is a workshop in what we call minimally invasive surgery or laparoscopic surgery when we are working on mostly doing operations in the abdomen.
“This workshop is being facilitated by international faculty and local faculty. We have had tutors coming for the workshop from as far afield as London, in the Unted Kingodm and the United States of America. Within Africa, we have facilitators from South Africa and Namibia,” he said.
He stated they have been developing the curricula with a UK based professor.
“Working on this project with me in terms of introducing the courses and curricular at the University of Zimbabwe International Centre for Surgical Simulation (UZICSS) is Professor Bijendra Patel who is the Professor of Surgery at the University of London and Director of the London Surgical Simulation Academy at Queen Mary University which is their skills centre where they train minimally invasive surgery.
“He and I have been working for about four years trying to develop the curricula through training of surgeons at the University of Zimbabwe,” he said.
The relationship between UZ and Karl Stortz SE & Co. KG is about nine years old with the goal being the enhancement of surgical skills in local and regional students.
“The genesis of this centre is through a collaboration forged by the UZ and Karl Storz Endoskope Germany about nine years ago where the two institutions went into a partnership to establish a training hub for minimally invasive surgery in sub-Saharan Africa.
“And this training hub was fortunately sited for Zimbabwe at the UZ. It has been equipped to the highest possible standards with the latest equipment delivered from Karl Storz.
“The laboratory itself was designed by Karl Storz architects and it was built by the UZ which has facilitated the furnishing and equipping of the rest of the laboratory. The way this functions is the university owns the laboratory and directs all the operations. Our partner Karl Storz facilitates the workshops,” he said.
PCD Diagnostics is the local representative for servicing the high-tech equipment.
Prof Muguti also said they have forged other memoranda of understanding with the University of Stanford, Queen Mary University, as well as some regional universities. He said other partnerships with universities from west Africa are being made.
Professor Patel said training in laparoscopic surgery is important for this skill will help patients recover quickly compared to the conventional ways.
“Patient harm in the hospitals from treatment and surgery is the 14th leading cause of deth globally. And this is comparable to malaria and HIV in Africa. So you can imagine how many lives can be saved by good training and providing this set of skills in stress free environment by simulation,” he said.
Head of Surgery at Sefako Makgatho Health Science University Professor Zach Koto said the equipment is state of the art.
“This is high end equipment with unbeliebale optics in terms of quality of the imagery which is very very good. The instruments themselves are of high quality,” he said.
Specialist surgeons from Stanford University in the UZ Dr Wendy Su and Dr Cara Liebert said the students at the workshop are very passionate in learning this type of surgery.
A junior medical registrar at Gweru Provincial Hospital Dr Marvelous Machiri said with the laparoscopic equipment mainly found in the private sector, and that it being incorporated in the government institutions will minimize transfers to central hospitals as many will be helped at provincial level.
