Our Global Partnerships
Global Partnership committee members have access to the overseas work resources section, to view this click here. To request permission for access to this page, email elakin@bssh.ac.uk
Since 2010, BSSH has been empowering its members to make a real impact through voluntary work overseas. What began as a response to an invitation to lead a surgical mission at Holy Spirit Hospital in Makeni, Sierra Leone, has evolved into a significant initiative. By 2019, BSSH had expanded its reach to 10 low- to middle-income countries (LMICs), where our members share their expertise in hand surgery. A key project, the BSSH Lion Project, has made a huge difference in Malawi, providing life-changing surgeries while promoting sustainability through education and training. Since January 2023, BSSH and BAHT have worked alongside local staff at LION, performing over 526 operations and 600 therapy sessions for hand and upper limb injuries. This initiative perfectly aligns with our mission: "to advance the development of hand surgery through education and research."
For further information on each of our ongoing projects please click here
An Interview with Overseas Chair Jonathan Jones
History
In early 2010, ReSurge Africa, a charity dedicated to developing surgical services across Africa, invited BSSH to support an ambitious project aimed at developing reconstructive surgical services, including hand surgery, in Sierra Leone, one of the world's poorest countries. This challenge was enthusiastically embraced by Barbara Jemec, who successfully convinced BSSH Council to provide initial funding. A passionate group of BSSH members, including hand surgeons, anaesthetists, therapists, and nurses, answered the call, embarking on two-week trips to perform surgery and train local staff. The project quickly gained momentum, with more and more members volunteering, and a waiting list for participation began to form. The overwhelming response inspired BSSH Council to continue their vital support, marking the beginning of a long-term commitment to voluntary overseas work.
BSSH’s commitment to international medical development didn’t stop there. We extended our support to the Working Hands project in Nepal, a pioneering initiative led by Donald Sammut, which provided hands-on training and mentorship in reconstructive hand surgery. Over four years, BSSH’s involvement played a key role in training local surgeons, ensuring the development of sustainable, long-term expertise that will continue to benefit patients for years to come.
The work in Sierra Leone has evolved and flourished, even after a temporary hiatus due to the Ebola crisis. By the end of 2019, BSSH will have supported 19 visits to Holy Spirit Hospital in Makeni. In an exciting development, the hospital is now preparing to welcome two local surgeons who have spent six years training in reconstructive surgery in Ghana. The first, Abdulai, is set to return in late 2019, followed by Eric in 2020. Together, they will deliver Sierra Leone’s first-ever reconstructive surgical services and begin training Medical Officers, surgical trainees, and Community Health Officers in hand trauma. BSSH will continue to mentor these surgeons, ensuring the country can build a sustainable, world-class hand surgery service.
In addition to these incredible efforts, BSSH is proud to be part of the game-changing LION project in Malawi. Since January 2023, we’ve been working alongside local staff and the British Association of Hand Therapists (BAHT) at LION, performing over 526 surgeries and conducting more than 600 therapy sessions. The LION project is transforming the landscape of hand surgery in Malawi, focusing not only on life-changing surgeries but also on sustainability through education and training. The project aspires to become fully self-sufficient by 2028, ensuring that local teams can continue to provide specialist hand services long into the future. The work at LION is a testament to the incredible impact BSSH members can make when they come together to support long-term, sustainable healthcare development across the globe.
Progress
The success in these two countries stimulated interest in expanding our overseas work and attracted interest from surgeons in other LMICs. Opportunities were identified in Sudan and Malawi. It was felt necessary to form a formal BSSH Sub-Committee to oversee and coordinate this work. The BSSH Overseas Committee commenced its work in 2016 developing a 5 year overseas strategy (see separate item) to contribute to the overall BSSH strategy the overall, ensuring that projects are accessible and visible to BSSH members, ensuring learning from each project and developing an overseas educational resource
We now have projects in 8 countries – Sierra Leone, Sudan, Malawi, Myanmar, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Bangladesh. Some of these projects are delivered in collaboration with other surgical associations most notably BFIRST (British Foundation for International Reconstructive Surgery) an organisation of Plastic Surgeons many of whom are BSSH members
Reports of many recent visits to project countries can be found here.
Achievements
During 2019 we will have supported projects in 8 countries with 23 BSSH members delivering training to a total of over 475 surgeons and associated staff.
Looking Forward
Prior the Coronavirus outbreak we had many plans for this year with visits planned to all our project countries. Building on the projects in Malawi and Uganda we are in discussions to make a similar contribution to the Confederation of Surgical Societies of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA). Our long term goal is to work with these two surgical organisations to develop an accredited Hand Diploma designed for surgeons in Africa
In summary, BSSH Global Partnership Committee is here to help coordinate and support members performing valuable work overseas. Maximum benefit will be produced by supporting sustainable long term projects with a focus on educating local surgeons to perform high quality hand surgery. It is important we collaborate with and learn from other surgical charities such as BFIRST and WOC. There are many opportunities for members to get involved. These include joining our contact list, volunteering to take part in established projects or proposing further projects.
How to get involved
- Volunteer to join a visit to a project country (see project lead details above)
- Apply for a BSSH Global Partnership Trainee Fellowship open to BSSH Associate Members
- Volunteer to host a webinar
- Apply to join the BSSH Global Partnership Committee when the expression of interest is circulated
- Suggest a new project country
If you would like to get involved in any way please email Jonathan Jones, Chair, BSSH Global Partnership Committee at secretariat@bssh.ac.uk.