More than 400 African surgeons from 25 countries were trained in minimally invasive surgery in Rwanda in the last one year.

This was thanks to IRCAD Africa, a key facility put in place in October last year through a cooperation agreement between the government of Rwanda and IRCAD France.

The medical professionals trained in Rwanda in the past one year come from countries including Burkina Faso, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Namibia, Ivory Coast, among other.

The Government of Rwanda committed more than $22 million to the construction of the facility which has been operational for the past one year, offering training in minimally Invasive surgery as well as carrying out research in fields like telemedicine and Artificial Intelligence (AI) used in medicine.

Minimally invasive surgery is a type of surgery that minimises surgical incisions to reduce trauma to the body. Such surgery is performed using very small incisions, allowing the introduction of an endoscope connected to a camera and the introduction of micro-instruments. The camera allows surgeons to have a magnified image leading to precise dissection of the operated organs.

ALSO READ: Masaka: Kigali's emerging 'medical city'

While traditional surgical methods often require longer recovery periods, some of the key advantages of minimally invasive surgery include the reduction of post-operative pain, blood loss and enabling a speedy recovery including a short hospital stay.

The minimally invasive approach also prevents from parietal wall complications and infections as well from post-operative incisional hernia.

Dr Athanase Rukundo, the Director General for Clinical and Public Health Services Governance at the Ministry of Health, lauded IRCAD Africa for raising a "new generation of African surgeons,” giving them the "latest techniques and technologies” to improve patient outcomes.

Speaking during the centre’s one-year celebrations on Friday, November 15, Dr. Guillaume Marescaux, the vice president of IRCAD Africa, said he hopes "this first year will only be the first page of a long successful story, where Rwanda will be remembered as the country that changed the vision of education and research for African surgeons.”

ALSO READ: How minimally invasive heart surgeries are saving children’s lives in Rwanda

IRCAD Rwanda is also working on various initiatives including Disrumpere, a project that aims to combine low-cost ultrasound devices with innovative AI and robotics technologies, to make the Ultrasound easier and faster.

Through the project, the experts are creating an AI model that is installed into a robotic ultrasound arm that can be operated remotely, allowing healthcare professionals to conduct examinations and interpret results from a distance.

Dr King Kayondo, the president of IRCAD Africa said the centre’s mission in Africa is to elevate healthcare standards by making world-class surgical training and cutting-edge medical technologies accessible to healthcare professionals across Africa.

"Since our inauguration, we’ve worked tirelessly to make a meaningful impact on healthcare in Africa. Over the past year, IRCAD Africa has reached significant milestones, including providing specialized training for surgeons, conducting ground-breaking research, and developing new medical technologies tailored to the unique needs of African healthcare,” he noted.