Radio Discussion: Fertile Terrain for International Radiology Aid and Collaboration
In a significant stride towards improving healthcare access and outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa, the Road2IR interventional radiology (IR) training program has been making waves since its inception in 2017. Initiated by teams from Yale, Emory, and Harvard School of Medicine, this two-year education and training program has been traveling abroad, setting up shop in Tanzania and Nigeria.
Before the Road2IR program, Tanzania had no practicing interventional radiologists. Fast forward to today, and the program has trained ten IR physicians, with three more being trained each year as part of the program's goal. As of July 2022, a total of 1,595 procedures have been performed by local fellows as primary interventional radiologists in the Road2IR program.
The program's success is evident in its impressive statistics. A staggering 97.2% of procedures were technically successful, 95.2% were without adverse events, and 28.9% were performed independently by Tanzanian fellows and faculty. These numbers underscore the practical and effective solution that the Road2IR training model offers to meet many of the challenges associated with the lack of access to IR in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Road2IR program is not just about numbers, though. It's about providing access to surgical procedures that address the needs of women and young girls, and about protecting people from the risks of anesthesia and dangerous postsurgical infections. Interventional radiology, with its minimally invasive procedures, offers a promising avenue for achieving these goals.
The program's success is also due in part to the support it has received. Grants and donations have helped to support its operation, while institutions such as the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE) and various local African medical societies have lent their backing. Companies like Philips and GE Healthcare have also contributed by providing equipment and consumables.
As Africa is poised to hit a population of 1.2 billion by 2043, with Tanzania's current population at around 65.4 million, the need for programs like Road2IR becomes even more pressing. It's a testament to the potential of training people in their local environments that some countries in resource-limited settings can build and retain a talented and skilled medical workforce.
With partner training programs already underway in Uganda and Rwanda, the Road2IR program for interventional radiology in Africa is set to continue its transformative work. The future looks bright for improved healthcare access and outcomes in the region, thanks to the tireless efforts of the Road2IR team.
