Anaesthetic manpower development in West Africa

Abstract

Advances in surgery have been possible worldwide largely due to specialized manpower, innovations in modern anesthetic techniques and drugs. Shortage of specialist manpower in anesthesia has continued in West Africa despite various available local postgraduate training programmes. This paper examines the impact of the West African Postgraduate Medical College (WAPMC) training programme on anesthetic manpower development in the West Africa subregion. Data collected from the records of the WAPMC revealed that from April 1992 to October 1996 a total number of 2,963 candidates attempted the primary examination of the various surgical faculties compared to 93 candidates for anesthesia - a ratio of 32 prospective surgeons to one anesthetist. The end point of the training produced 292 Fellows in the five-year period with only six in anesthesia, i.e., 1 anesthetist to 49 surgeons. Although the diploma programme of the same College produced 56 graduates in the study period, 53.6% of them were pursuing the Fellowship programme in tertiary institutions. Suggestions arc proposed to redress the ever-widening gap between the number of specialist surgeons and anesthetists in the West Africa subregion.