The Specialist Surgeon Workforce in East, Central and Southern Africa: A Situation Analysis.

Background: In East, Central and Southern Africa accurate data on the current surgeon workforce have previously been limited. In order to ensure that the workforce required for sustainable delivery of surgical care is put in place, accurate data on the number, specialty and distribution of specialist-trained surgeons are crucial for all stakeholders in surgery and surgical training in the region.

Methods: The surgical workforce in each of the ten member countries of the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) was determined by gathering and crosschecking data from multiple sources including COSECSA records, medical council registers, local surgical societies records, event attendance lists and interviews of Members and Fellows of COSECSA, and validating this by direct contact with the surgeons identified.

HIV seroprevalence and its effect on outcome of moderate to severe burn injuries: A Ugandan experience.

Background: HIV infection in a patient with burn injuries complicates the care of both the patient and the treating burn team. This study was conducted to establish the prevalence of HIV among burn patients in our setting and to compare the outcome of these patients who are HIV positive with those who are HIV negative.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study involving burn injury patients admitted to Mulago Hospital between November 2005 and February 2006.

Increasing access to surgical services in sub-saharan Africa: priorities for national and international agencies recommended by the Bellagio Essential Surgery Group.

In this Policy Forum, the Bellagio Essential Surgery Group, which was formed to advocate for increased access to surgery in Africa, recommends four priority areas for national and international agencies to target in order to address the surgical burden of disease in sub-Saharan Africa.

Peptic ulcer surgery at a rural hospital in Kenya.

In this study, 157 patients who underwent surgery for peptic ulcer disease in a 215-bed mission hospital in Nyeri, Kenya were evaluated. One hundred and thirty seven patients (87.3%) had duodenal ulcer.

Appendicectomy in Consolata Hospital, Nyeri: analysis of operative and histological findings.

An account is given of 348 patients with suspected appendicitis treated with appendicectomy between September 1982 and December 1988. The operative findings in 276 cases and the findings on histology in 306 appendices are presented. An "operational error" of 18.