ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – The Pan-African Surgical Healthcare Forum (PASHeF 2025) continues to serve as a growing continental platform where African countries design and implement solutions that strengthen surgical healthcare systems for their people.
Now in its third year, PASHeF 2025 brought together representatives from the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO), WHO Ethiopia Country Office, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the African Union (AU), along with 42 African Ministries of Health and Ministry of Finance, under the theme, From Policy to Practice – expanding Africa’s Multidisciplinary Surgical Workforce: What Works for Africa?’
This landmark event aims to translate commitments into action by showcasing scalable solutions, sharing successful national models, showcasing examples of innovative financial models, and fostering collaboration to strengthen surgical, obstetric, and anesthesia care throughout Africa.
During the event, Dr. med. Mustapha Kabba, the Republic of Sierra Leone’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Services in the Ministry of Health, presented his National Surgical, Obstetric, and Anaesthesia Plan (NSOAP) 2026-2030, launched just last week in Freetown. Developed in collaboration with national and international partners, including Mercy Ships, this plan provides a strategic, budgeted roadmap for expanding safe, timely, and affordable surgical, obstetric, and anaesthetic care throughout Sierra Leone.
Dr. Walt Johnson, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Mercy Ships and former WHO lead for Emergency and Essential Surgical Care, represented the organization at PASHeF. There, he reaffirmed Mercy Ships’ long-standing commitment to building surgical capacity in Africa.
“Africa is driving its own way towards creating its own solutions,” said Dr. Johnson. “The launch of Sierra Leone’s NSOAP demonstrates how political commitment, and partnership can translate into real improvements in access to surgical care at the national level. PASHeF provides exactly the kind of platform needed to turn these ambitions into dedicated action on a continental level.”
As more countries across Africa develop their own NSOAPs, including Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Madagascar, and Tanzania, among many others at various stage of development, PASHeF has emerged as the key driver for collective progress.
NSOAPs were established following the recommendations of the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery (LCoGS) and the UN General Assembly Resolution 68.15, which call for essential surgery to be integrated into national health systems as a core component of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The LCoGS estimates that 5 billion people lack access to safe and timely surgical care, including 1.7 billion children affected by treatable conditions such as cleft lip and palate, club foot, hernia, injuries, or congenital malformations. Early surgical intervention not only saves lives but also empowers individuals to contribute to their countries’ economic and social development.
Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, Dr. Mekdes Daba, a trained Obstetrician/Gynecologist, emphasized that surgical care must be at the core of Africa’s journey towards UHC and called for bold, government-led actions and innovative strategies to transform surgical systems across the continent.
The highlight of the meeting was the unanimous adoption of two resolutions by all governments in attendance and the development of a strong partnership with Africa CDC. As the health technical arm of the AU, Africa CDC can bring PASHeF roadmaps and resolutions to the AU agenda and drive successful implementation after adoption.
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