A surgical technique that only requires a small opening in the patient’s body. Laparoscopy has had a great impact on the western culture of surgical treatment since the 1980s, but it had never been witnessed nor applied by Cameroonian doctors before. Patients who need to undergo surgery in Cameroon have been forced to face open surgery under a relatively high risk of wound infections. The high treatment costs and the inevitable inability to work due to postoperative pain poses a considerable financial burden on the patient’s family due to lack of health insurance. Therefore even life-saving surgeries have often just not been done.
Being able to perform these surgeries laparoscopically reduces both financial and health risks to a minimum. However most doctors in Cameroon, not to mention their patients, have never heard of this technique. As a First for Cameroon and its neighbouring countries, we have installed and are regularly using this technique in our hospital. During our last mission in September, 2016, we have been able to live broadcast one of these surgeries to our conference room nearby where local medical professionals and interested people from the local population were watching. This live presentation was met with greatest interest!
