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December Newsletter
BFIRST is a UK registered charity which trains surgeons and their teams working in the most resource poor countries in the world to enable them to undertake reconstructive Plastic Surgery independently in an equitable and sustainable manner, thus releasing children and adults from the state of poverty and destitution associated with physical disability, injury and disease, amenable to surgical treatment.
BFIRST also provides educational resources for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons through our Webinar series.
In the last BFIRST newsletter of 2024 we recap the activities undertaken by BFIRST this year and hope that they inspire you to get involved next year!
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Projects
The Gambia
   
In the final project of 2024, a team of Consultants and Trainees visited the Gambia to teach about and operate on hand and lower limb cases. Lectures and Plastic Hand Surgery was based at The Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in the capital, Banjul, and the Orthoplastic Hand and Lower Limb Surgery was based at Ndemban Hospital in Bakau. They had a productive trip and are now safely back in the UK, we look forward to the full report in next month’s newsletter!
Ethiopia
   
Between 22nd-24th October two senior hand surgeons, Mr Neil Cahoon and Mr Rupert Eckersley, senior registrar Alistair Reed, and Hand therapist Jim Dinley, visited St Paul’s hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where they taught on the BSSH/BFIRST 2024 co-sponsored ALERT International Hand Trauma Workshop, which consisted of interactive lectures, group discussions and cadaveric dissection to practice multiple aspects of upper limb trauma surgery.
Cambodia
  
From the 14-18th October, a 12-person strong team of consultant and trainee surgeons and an expert hand therapist from across the UK and Singapore visited the Children's Surgical Centre in Phnom Penh in Cambodia.
This is a collaboration which has been in effect since 2013, where Mr Wee Lam and Miss Sara Dorman in association with BFIRST, BSSH global partnerships and some hand surgeons from Singapore have visited almost twice annually to build their brachial Plexus and Congenital hand service. Immense progress was also made in the hand therapy department.
Zimbabwe
  
Between 30th September and 4th October 2024, congenital hand specialist Plastic Hand surgeons Jamil Moledina and Drew Fleming visited the Cure International Children’s Orthopaedic Hospital, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, at the invitation of by Andrew Hodges FRCS(Plast) and the Hospital Director Jonathan Simpson, to help with operating and teaching on a range of children with congenital and acquired differences of the hand, to enable local surgeons to refresh and acquire a new skill set to help further children going forward.
The team were joined by three local plastic surgeons from Harare to perform a variety of complex elective hand surgery operations were performed during the visit, including the likely first ever 2nd toe to hand microvascular transfer (for symbrachydactyly) and bilateral pollicisations performed in Zimbabwe.
Tanzania
  
In July, a team led by our BFIRST chair Naveen Cavale, visited the CCBRT Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He was joined by two fellow consultants, David Bell and Matt James, two trainees, Ailbhe Kiely and Laura Awad, and for the first time ever, two plastic surgery nurses, Clare Kelsey and Jasmine Carney.
This week saw the introduction of a surgical skills workshop - a combination of theory and wet lab based modules to upskill on local flaps, tendon repairs and microsurgery. Important topics such as chronic wound care, approach to elective hand surgery and lower limb trauma were discussed at length. The week finished with some joint operating on cases seen in clinic earlier in the week.
The BFIRST and CCBRT teams already have plans to continue this project next year, we will bring you further updates on this project!
Malawi - LION Project
  
In February Ms Shan Shan Jing was sponsored by BFIRST as a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon attached to the BSSH LION team in Malawi.
Shan Shan helped with reconstruction of patients under both the LION hand team and the Malawian orthopaedic team. The orthopaedic team see a large number of lower limb trauma cases each day and without appropriate soft tissue coverage of the fractured bones many patients do go on to have amputations.
The LION project provides education and training to enable and empower the local surgeons and therapists to specialise in hands. The LION is a not-for-profit institution that provides free care to the local population with the aim of reducing disability and its economic impact on the people of Malawi.
Breast Cancer Education in Nigeria and Ghana
 
Barbara Jemec from BFIRST and Abdulrasheed Ibrahim from ABU Zaria University in Nigeria secured a £300000 grant from the Tropical Health and Education Trust on January 2024 for the advancement of multidisciplinary teams in the treatment of breast cancer in Nigeria and Ghana.
The courses, first held in Abuja and Accra, are now being rolled out in other centres around the countries: Ibadan, Zaria and Kumasi with repeat courses in the capitals.
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Fellowships
BFIRST Fellows
In 2024, 4 BFIRST fellows have completed BFIRST fellowships across the UK. These are Plastic Surgeons from resource-poor countries, who have spent time in Plastic Surgery Units in the UK to gain experience and training.
Dr Salma Batool from Lahore, Pakistan
BFIRST fellowship in Swansea and Nottingham, with a focus on Hand and Upper Limb.
Dr Sania Ahmad from Lahore, Pakistan
BFIRST fellowship in East Grinstead, focusing on Breast Reconstruction.
Dr Nur Ul Ain from Lahore, Pakistan
BFIRST fellowship in Wakefield and Oxford, focusing on Hands and Burns.
Dr Ali Azeem from Rawalpindi, Pakistan
BFIRST fellowship later this year in Oxford and Newcastle.
We look forward to bringing you further reports from the 2024 BFIRST fellows.
After receiving applications from 31 doctors in 8 countries, we have selected six BFIRST fellows for 2025! They are currently selecting their placements. We will bring you more details in the next newsletter!
Ganga
  
BFIRST sponsored Dr Dagmawi and Dr Nagasa from Ethiopia to undertake an observership and Microsurgery lab Training at Ganga Hospital, India. They had the opportunity to observe a wide range of microsurgical procedures and hand surgeries under the guidance of esteemed surgeons and medical professionals, providing invaluable insights into advanced surgical techniques, patient management, and the importance of precision in microsurgery.
The skills acquired at Ganga Hospital will enable them to contribute significantly to the field of reconstructive surgery in Ethiopia, particularly in areas that require advanced microsurgical techniques. They are keen to share their knowledge gained with their peers through the organization of workshops and training sessions, therefore fostering an educational environment of continuous learning within their own medical community, and in doing so, raising the standard of surgical care and improving outcomes for their patients in Ethiopia.
London Hand Course
BFIRST is has sponsored two fellows - Dr Kemi Ayode (previous BFIRST fellow) and Dr Salma Batool (2024 BFIRST fellow) to attend the Advanced Hand & Wrist Cadaveric Dissection Course by the London Hand Course in September. BFIRST is also sponsoring two fellows to attend a Microsurgery course.
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Events
BAPRAS
   
In December BFIRST hosted a session at the BAPRAS Congress 2024!
This session included a fascinating series of talks:
Reconstructive Surgery training for non-plastic surgeons in warzones: Ukraine by Dr Ivan Budzan
Partnerships, Practicalities and Progress: Tanzania by Mr Naveen Cavale and Ms Ailbhe Kiely
Nursing and Allied Professionals Subcommittee on BFIRST by Ms Clare Kelsey and Ms Jasmine Carney
Ideals in Gaza by Ms Victoria Rose
We will also hosted a successful Tapas Night social on the Wednesday evening which was generously sponsored by Scottvale and Triangle Surgical!
This was a fun evening out and a great opportunity to meet and socialise with like-minded individuals, and for some of us to finally meet in person after working together virtually!
CAPRAS
In October members of BFIRST attended the CAPRAS x BAPRAS 2024 conference! It was a great opportunity to meet with so many surgeons from around the world and build links and community at this global event.
BFIRST were also mentioned in talks given by Mr Simon Wood and Miss Leena Chagla on Abdominal Wall Reconstruction and Global Breast Cancer Burden and the Need for Education and Training, respectively!
Global Surgery Day
 
In April BFIRST and BSSH hosted the Global Surgery Day, in Leeds.
This event was a great opportunity for hand surgeons, therapists trainees and other interested allied professionals to get a taste of the collaborative overseas work that BFIRST is involved in.
The day included updates on a series of projects that BFIRST has been involved in, including: Cambodia, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, the Gambia, and the LION project in Ethiopia. There were also talks on overseas and multidisciplinary collaborations and partnerships, and specific techniques for management of particular pathologies.
UK Africa Health Summit
The UK Africa Health summit, hosted by the Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET) took place in March, at the Royal College of General Practitioners, London. As a recipient of a THET and UK Department of Health and Social Care Global Health Workforce Programme grant, for a project aiming to improve Breast Cancer MDTs in Nigeria and Ghana, BFIRST were kindly invited to attend.
This was a fascinating and educational event to attend. We are very proud as an organisation to have been awarded the very competitive GHWP grant for the upcoming breast project in Nigeria and Ghana and it will be fascinating to watch how it unfolds over the next year.
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Fundraising
Cycle for BFIRST
Well done to Team BFIRST completing the London to Brighton Cycle Ride in September!
To date they have raised a fantastic £1934 which will help us educate and train surgeons in resource limited countries.
Thank you to everyone who has donated so far! Its not too late to support our amazing cycling team by donating here!
Or you can use the QR code below!
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Other
Inter Specialty Competencies Required by Residents in Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Teams
A team of researchers in Nigeria (Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, National Hospital Abuja, University College Hospital Ibadan) and Ghana (Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Accra, Komfe Anokye Teaching Hospital Kumasi) in partnership with the British Foundation for International Reconstructive Surgery and Training (BFIRST) are conducting a questionnaire survey to determine the inter-specialty competencies required by residents and trainees to work together holistically within the breast cancer care pathway.
We are reaching out to invite you as a resident/trainee to participate in a vital initiative aimed at enhancing the training and education curriculum for members of the Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) in Nigeria and Ghana. Your residency training programme experience in pathology, radiology, radio-oncology, general surgery, plastic surgery and onco-plastic surgery is crucial to the success of this endeavour.
This questionnaire will determine the perceived value of inter-specialty competencies essential to the breast cancer MDT. We believe that by collectively identifying and addressing a range of specific knowledge, skills and experience we can improve patient outcomes and positively impact the breast cancer care landscape in our communities.
BLAPRAS national plastic surgery conference teaching opportunity
Barts and the London Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (BLAPRAS) are running a National Plastic Surgery Conference on 1st February 2025.
This event is aimed at undergraduates will include practical workshops for delegates, including – microsurgery, flap reconstruction, ear reconstruction and a virtual reality workshop.
BLAPRAS are looking for help leading these workshops, if you are interested or would like to know more information please let us know!
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How can I help?
Volunteering
BFIRST is keen for surgeons, nurses and allied specialists to all get involved. Please do get in touch if you are interested. Reconstructive surgery is a team sport!
Also, if you have ideas for new projects that you would like to start, perhaps in new countries, or in areas we already work in, we would love to hear about these, and discuss further.
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