In Africa for Africa: Advancing Access to Cardiac Surgery Across the Continent 

From September 4-6, cardiothoracic surgeons, healthcare leaders and specialists from across Africa and around the world gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, for the inaugural Cardio-Thoracic Conference: “In Africa for Africa.” 

Among those helping lead the initiative was Dr Emily Farkas, EMERGENCY USA Board member and President of the Cardiac Surgery Intersociety Alliance (CSIA), one of the organizations that convened the conference. The first-of-its-kind meeting brought regional and international expertise together to explore how access to high-quality, sustainable cardiothoracic care can be strengthened across Africa.  

Speaking ahead of the conference, Dr Farkas described the ambition behind bringing such a wide range of expertise together on the continent: 

“Our goal really was to put together something that was meaningful educationally, but also contextualized to what’s important to African surgeons.”

The three-day conference brought together clinical education and discussions on health-system strengthening, training, capacity building and the resources needed to expand cardiothoracic surgical services across sub-Saharan Africa. It was convened by the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS), the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and CSIA, in association with the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons of South Africa (SCTSSA).  

Building capacity for cardiac care 

A recurring theme was the importance of developing solutions that respond to the realities of providing cardiac care in different African contexts. 

Dr Farkas highlighted the value of bidirectional partnerships between surgical programs that support longer-term education and knowledge exchange, with priorities driven by local programs. This focus on sustainable access and locally rooted capacity also connects closely with EMERGENCY’s approach to cardiac care across Africa.  

At the conference, Dr Gina Portella, EMERGENCY Medical Director, presented EMERGENCY’s Regional Programme, a cross-border referral network that has enabled patients from 30 countries to receive free cardiac care at the Salam Centre for Cardiac Surgery in Khartoum, Sudan. 

“Since 2007, we have progressively expanded services at the Salam Centre to make quality surgical care and long-term follow up available completely free of charge to people from across Sudan and the wider African region.”

Alongside Dr Portella was EMERGENCY Cardiothoracic Surgeon,’s Dr Nada Faisal, who completed her specialization at the Salam Centre despite the ongoing conflict in Sudan, becoming the country’s first woman cardiothoracic surgeon.  

Together, their participation reflected two sides of expanding access to specialized care: providing treatment to patients today while investing in the medical professionals and systems that can provide that care in the future. 

Towards sustainable solutions 

Organizers intend for “In Africa for Africa” to become a regular event held every two years in different African countries, creating an ongoing space to share expertise and strengthen cardiothoracic surgical capacity across the region.  

For EMERGENCY, the discussions in Cape Town reflect a principle that has shaped our work for more than three decades: high-quality healthcare should be accessible to everyone. 

Through the Salam Centre and Regional Programme, EMERGENCY continues to expand access to specialized cardiac care, free of charge, while supporting the development of local and regional expertise.