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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Endosc Int Open 2021; 09(07): E1001-E1003
DOI: 10.1055/a-1495-5215
Editorial

Promotion of gastrointestinal endoscopy in Sub-Saharan Africa: What is needed, and how can ESGE and WEO help?

Purnima Bhat
1   ANU Medical School/Canberra Hospital – Gastroenterology, Garran, Australia. Committee member and Research Lead of Activities to Reach Africa – World Endoscopy Organization
,
Cesare Hassan
2   Gastroenterology Unit, Nuovo Regina Margherita Hospital, Rome, Italy. Chair of the International Affairs Working Group – European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy; Committee member of Activities to Reach Africa – World Endoscopy Organization
,
Hailemichael Desalegn
3   Department of Internal Medicine, St. Paulʼs Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Committee member of Activities to Reach Africa – World Endoscopy Organization
,
Lars Aabakken
4   Department of Transplantation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Oslo University Hospital – Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway. Co-chair of the Committee of Activities to Reach Africa – World Endoscopy Organization
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The role of gastrointestinal endoscopy in the developed world has seen an amazing expansion that has resulted in it becoming a crucial diagnostic and therapeutic tool to replace radiology, as well as surgery to an increasing extent. Areas of Africa have seen a similar development, but in large areas of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the situation is far from ideal, with very limited access to endoscopic competence. This is related to financial, organizational, and educational factors, which have hampered the development of badly needed endoscopy services. Presence and involvement from relevant industry partners is also variable and often incomplete. General political and logistic challenges specific to each country add to the complexity; however, with a goal-oriented approach, improvement can be achieved within those limitations. Along with the process of improving the overall situation, there is a need to optimize the use of currently available resources. To accomplish this, a comprehensive understanding of local and regional dynamics is essential.



Publication History

Article published online:
17 June 2021

© 2021. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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Refers to:

High rates of gastroesophageal cancers in patients with dyspepsia undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in UgandaEndosc Int Open 2021; 09(07): E997-E1000
DOI: 10.1055/a-1480-7231

 

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