Grant from the Quebec-Senegal bilateral cooperation program of the Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie (MRIF) and the le Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux  for the Centre for Global Surgery (CGS)

The CGS, led by the Co-directors Dr. Dan Deckelbaum and Dr. Tarek Razek, has been awarded a grant from the Quebec-Senegal bilateral cooperation program from the MRIF and the MSSS. The grant will be to strengthen alliances and capacity in Senegal by delivering the French version of the CGS hybrid Trauma and Disaster Team Response (TDTR) course.

The CGS TDTR course aims to train multidisciplinary groups (physicians, nurses, paramedics, and other allied health workers) in the team-based management of injured patients using an effective, evidence-based approach. The new hybrid model of the course, given the travel limitations brought on by COVID-19, includes both online and in-person components to facilitate and increase access to the course. The course includes a combination of didactic lectures, skills sessions, team exercises and simulations.

This grant is part of a long-standing collaboration with the Gaston Berger University in Saint Louis, Senegal, with the leadership of Professor Ibrahima Konaté, Director of the Health Sciences Training and Research Unit, and his team.

Deploying the TDTR course

Since 2011, the Center for Global Surgery has been involved in education and research programs to stimulate health education, on-site clinical work, exchange programs, and trauma systems development in several African nations in coordination with the West African College of Surgeons and the East, Central, and Southern African College of Surgeons.

The CGS, in close collaboration with the Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis, will work to improve surgical capacity in Senegal. Through the delivery of the TDTR in French, Senegalese health workers will:

·         develop skills in trauma care and disaster response,

·         identify a trauma team and understand their roles and responsibilities in the resuscitation of a trauma patient,

·         improve trauma team performance, and

·         understand the importance of injury surveillance for the development of targeted interventions to address specific gaps.

The CGS is proud to join efforts with the MRIF and the MSSS and appreciates their financial support to develop and deliver the new version of the CGS TDTR to our partners from the Gaston Berger University. This initiative will allow Senegalese trainees to replicate the course and knowledge according to their needs and/or visit the CGS and extend trauma knowledge and training in Canada. Being part of this bilateral cooperation Quebec-Senegal could open the possibility of working on additional initiatives like the creation of trauma registries to strengthen the Senegalese health system as well as expanding creating new collaborations in the rest of West Africa through the West African College of Surgeons (WACS).