Medical professionals, policy experts, researchers and other key stakeholders have called for urgent mitigation measures to address dwindling numbers of surgical professionals serving Africa’s burgeoning population.
Studies delivered at the PanAfrican Surgical Conference (#PASC2025) revealed that the surgical experts’ crisis could reach alarming levels by 2030 when Africa will experience a shortage of six million surgical care providers, leaving millions without access to life-saving procedures.
The conference convened by medical charity, Operation Smile, seeks to increase surgical access in Africa by strengthening local surgical workforces in individual countries and exploring context-specific solutions to the identified gaps in local surgical ecosystems.
Prof. Faustin Ntirenganya, a senior consultant general and onco-plastic surgeon at the University of Rwanda and co-chair of the conference said during the opening ceremony: “Millions of people lack access to life-saving surgical care – a basic human right.
“This conference is not just about discussions, it is a call to action for a shared vision of access to quality healthcare. “If we foster collaboration, equip local providers, and invest in innovation, we can create a future where no patient is left behind and reshape the future of surgical care in Africa and beyond.”
Operation Smile Chief Medical Officer Billy Magee said Africa could not do it alone as she called for global corporations, philanthropies, charities, and first-world countries to support Africa’s efforts in training local surgical practitioners.
She said: “Operation Smile, a locally led, globally supported organisation works together with local healthcare providers, ministries of health, health systems, governments, NGOs, corporations, and academic institutions to exchange ideas and scale up Africa’s next generation of surgeons and anaesthesiologists.
I am thrilled to see this collaboration come to life in Kigali today – as every voice in this room contributes to a global network of solutions, innovation, and progress.”
