BUJUMBURA, October 18th (ABP) – The Ministry of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS, through the Burundian Surgery Association (ABUC), organized from October 17 to 18, 2024, in Bujumbura, the ceremonies for the celebration of the 18th congress of surgery in Burundi under the theme “Surgery and Geriatrics 2024”, a check on the site by ABP has disclosed.
In his opening remarks, Oscar Ntihabose, Director General in charge of health care provision and accreditation, pointed out that the Burundian government had initiated a number of structural reforms to improve access to health care geographically, by setting up health districts.
Local initiatives have already been launched to support and strengthen the Burundian healthcare system by improving care for the elderly. Those include the government’s measure to subsidize healthcare for the elderly, and its desire to improve the social protection mechanism for civil servants who have retired due to age limits.
Despite the existence of those initiatives and of various tools and health standards, defined in 2021, he stressed that several structures remain to be equipped in terms of biomedical equipment in line with the package of services offered and several persistent constraints. Those include infrastructure development, the training of qualified, committed, motivated and stable healthcare professionals, and raising awareness of the specific needs of the elderly and patients requiring surgical care.
Consequently, he added, healthcare for the elderly in general, and surgical care in particular, requires special attention to improve access to healthcare and the quality of treatment. With that in mind, Burundi will need additional support to meet its needs in terms of human resources and adequate, standard-compliant health infrastructure, as well as help in mobilizing funds from private investment as part of a sustained public-private partnership.
According to Ntihabose, professional societies in general, and ABUC in particular, have the potential to occupy an essential niche as a driving force in the development of person-centered surgical care (primary, secondary and tertiary, not forgetting high-quality medical equipment).
According to him, a special mention goes to ABUC for its initiative in organizing that day, which is helping to boost Burundi’s healthcare system by offering high-quality, person-centered care that meets the current and future needs of Burundians.
For his part, ABUC President Vénérant Barendegere pointed out that the organization of that congress enables healthcare professionals to discuss advances in the field of surgery, with particular emphasis on the challenges and innovations involved in caring for the elderly.
During the ceremonies, the safer surgery association provided surgeons with headlamps to improve visibility of the operating field.