Browsing by Author "Mkandawire, Nyengo"

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Editorial Policy on Co-authorship of Articles from Low- and Middle-Income Countries
(Springer, 2011) Kushner, L. Adam; Kyamanywa, Patrick; Adisa, A Charles; Kibatala, Pascience; Mkandawire, Nyengo; Coleman, Peter; Kamara, B Thaim; Mock, N Charles; Hunter, John G
Global health and the support of surgical research, education, and clinical care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are primary missions of the World Journal of Surgery. As surgery is increasingly recognized as a cost-effective and necessary component of public health [1] more researchers are directing their attention to the issue of surgical capacity, innovations, or conditions in LMICs. With academic and professional collaborations often transcending national borders, it is important to clearly address the issues of co-authorship and sharing the benefits of research. We feel it is inappropriate to publish scientific papers regarding conditions, capacity or innovations in LMICs without involving local scientists. In addition to potentially violating the local population’s trust, policy makers and government authorities in LMICs are more likely to accept and act on the results of research done in their countries if they know that local experts have been involved. To address these concerns, the World Journal of Surgery has decided to introduce a new policy regarding original research received using primary data from LMICs. The journal will now require that all such manuscripts include at least one local co-author. A local co-author is defined as a national of that country who is living and working in the home country. The editors understand that there may be extenuating circumstances in which this requirement cannot be met. In such cases, a cover letter should explain why a local co-author is not included.
The Specialist Surgeon Workforce in East, Central and Southern Africa: A Situation Analysis
(Springer, 2016-01-01) O’Flynn, Eric; Andrew, Judith; Hutch, Avril; Kelly, Caitrin; Jani, Pankaj; Kakande, Ignatius; Derbew, Miliard; Tierney, Sean; Mkandawire, Nyengo; Erzingatsian, Krikor
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. This data was recorded and analysed in a cloud-based computerised database, developed as part of a collaboration programme with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Results A total of 1690 practising surgeons have been identified yielding a regional ratio of 0.53 surgeons per 100,000 population. A majority of surgeons (64 %) practise in the main commercial city of their country of residence and just 9 % of surgeons are female. More than half (53 %) of surgeons in the region are general surgeons. Conclusions While there is considerable geographic variation between countries, the regional surgical workforce represents less than 4 % of the equivalent number in developed countries indicating the magnitude of the human resource challenge to be addressed.