Seoul National University College of Medicine's JW LEE Center for Global Medicine, led by Director Woong-han Kim, conducted the '2023 Second Half Cardiac Surgical Capacity-Building Program in Republic of Côte d'Ivoire' from October 1st to the 9th at the Institut de Cardiologie d’Abidjan.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than three out of four deaths due to cardiovascular diseases occur in low-income countries, including sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, according to recent research, economic losses due to cardiovascular diseases in low-income countries from 2011 to 2015 reached approximately $3.7 trillion. The increase in cardiovascular disease-related deaths in these countries is attributed mostly to a shortage of medical professionals and as well as shortage of surgical resources. In high-income countries, there are approximately 7.15 thoracic surgeons per one million people, whereas in low-income countries, the number is less than one. Therefore, continuous medical education for healthcare professionals is essential to address cardiovascular disease treatment in low-income countries.
Cardiac Surgical Capacity-Building Program of JW LEE Center for Global Medicine
JW LEE Center for Global Medicine has been continuing the Global Surgery program, a local medical staff education project at the Institut de Cardiologie d’Abidjan since 2019. This program is an international social contribution project aiming to enhance the treatment capabilities of healthcare professionals through continuous education, with the goal of increasing accessibility to surgery and providing equitable surgical treatment in the future.
Director Woong-han Kim stated, "The local training has been ongoing for four years, and trust has been built with the local medical staff. During our visit, we had genuine discussions about the local hospital life and their healthcare system, and we observed a more proactive approach through hands-on training. We will continue to actively promote educational projects for strengthening cardiac surgery capabilities, including local training, through ongoing collaboration with the Institut de Cardiologie d’Abidjan."
During the second visit of the year, following the one in January, several clinical lectures were conducted in addition to the focus on education to enhance the cardiac surgery capabilities of local medical staff and provide motivation. Particularly in this project, the team successfully performed surgery on a 4kg newborn, whose weight was the smallest since the establishment of the Institut de Cardiologie d’Abidjan.
In 2024, the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire' cardiac surgery team (including doctors in the area of thoracic surgery, anesthesia, pediatric and adolescent medicine; perfusionists; and nurses) will be invited to Seoul National University Hospital to demonstrate a multiple-department collaborative and provide intensive training. The knowledge acquired through experience of the Korean healthcare system will also be applied to applicable areas of their healthcare system through this training. Through this cooperation, it is expected that the cardiac surgery capabilities of local medical staff will be further enhanced.
The JW LEE Center for Global Medicine was established in 2012, following the vision of the late Dr. Jong-wook Lee (Class of 1976), a former Director General of the World Health Organization. This center was established to enhance the capabilities of countries with vulnerable healthcare situations through education, research, policy advice, and international contributions. It aims to educate the future generation that will lead international health and medicine. Based on Seoul National University's excellent human resources, the center contributes to proving the effectiveness of Korea's healthcare development aid in international health and medicine. Furthermore, the center contributes to disease prevention and health promotion based on sustainability and operates medical training programs for healthcare professionals in medically underserved countries. The center also conducts research on key topics in international health and medicine and provides educational programs for students both domestically and internationally.
Translated by
InKyung Bae (Department of English Language and Literature)