40 Paediatric Surgeons to Benefit from Smile Train, KidsOR Scholarship

By Sunday Ehigiator

Global charities Smile Train, and Kids Operating Room (KidsOR) have revealed plans to support the training and education of 40 paediatric surgeons across Africa in partnership with the West African College of Surgeons (WACS) and the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA)

In a statement jointly signed over the weekend by Smile Train Vice-President and Regional Director for Africa Mrs. Nkeiruka Obi, and Africa Director of KidsOR, Rosemary Mugwe, it was revealed that candidates from South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Malawi, Liberia and Tanzania are already in session at various training institutions under COSECSA and WACS, with additional candidates expected from Lesotho, Eswatini and Sierra Leone.

The statement revealed that the scholarships, which support recipients for a duration of three to six years, depending on the course of study, would cover the cost of exam registration and fees, transport and visas for the country in which the recipients are training.

Obi noted that “the core of Smile Train’s ‘teach a man to fish’ model is capacity building and sustainably empowering local healthcare professionals in the cleft ecosystem.

“Smile Train is committed to supporting the education and training of medical professionals, and we are excited to expand this work with KidsOR to strengthen the surgical systems and increase access to safe, quality, surgical care in low- and middle-income countries thereby providing consistently available and cultural appropriate care for patients with cleft.”

On her part, Mugwe said, “KidsOR aims to give every child access to safe surgery. Through scholarships, we seek to find the gaps and identify the best ways to support junior doctors through their studies with resources to help drive the quality, skill sets and confidence of new graduates.

“We want to help strengthen local workforce to create sustainable healthcare systems.