Transfers of knowhow as realistic as possible

« From year to year, the results registered after the visits of the association have been tremendously positive. There are fewer and fewer deaths, better observation of the patients, and many bonds created between the medical teams from here and from there. This means a long chain to save human lives, day after day. »

Isabelle Vulliez

Since 1984, Santé Sud has been active in Mauritania, Lebanon, Tunisia, and now Mali, to promote the availability of care to the most vulnerable populations. Its leverage is simple, but essential : it accompanies the health policies implemented in the various countries by providing continuous training.

In 2009, Santé Sud is setting up training sessions of two weeks each in the area of general surgery in Mali, in the regions of Kayes and Ségou.

Twenty-eight practitioners trained in one month

With this new accompaniment, Santé Sud wants to help the interested practitioners of Mali to improve their surgical techniques, particularly in terms of the hygiene and safety of the patients.

Far from being theoretical, the training is provided in the form of a compagnonnage between peers (doctors of north and of south). Based on real, practical situations, the aim is to identify the best methods to adapt the theories to the local requirements of practical cases. In addition, Santé Sud also makes sure to include the surgical nurses and anaesthetists in the training provided, so that each of them can realise the importance of the surgical team.

The grant from the Veolia foundation will help Santé Sud to finance the coeliosurgery equipment to follow up on the training missions. This includes two coeliosurgery boxes, a modern and non-invasive technology introduced among the confirmed surgical teams of Mali by compagnonnage missions. In this view, the aim is to combine the conditions for a full mastery of the technique and of its teaching by the supply of the necessary equipment.