The CHPG on Mission in Senegal

Dr. Jacques Raiga,* Deputy Head of the CHPG's Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics and Pikine National Hospital Medical staff ©DR

As part of the hospital partnership between the Princess Grace Hospital (CHPG) and the Department of International Cooperation of Monaco, a medical team travelled to Senegal this summer for a local health mission.

The team, led by Dr. Jacques Raiga,* Deputy Head of the CHPG's Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, carried out operations at the Pikine National Hospital in Dakar for three days.

Dr. Raiga was delighted with the quality of the medical staff, some of whom had been trained at the CHPG, in particular in the fields of anaesthesia, equipment sterilisation and the management of patients on waking.

Since 2010, the CHPG and the Pikine Hospital have been collaborating to build a complete Senegalese surgical team (surgeons, anaesthetists and operating theatre nurses), who are able to carry out surgical operations by laparoscopy in an autonomous manner.

The gynaecological laparoscopy unit in Pikine is now operational, making it possible to reduce infections significantly and limit the duration of post-operative stays.

As a reminder, the hospital partnership that has been led for almost eight years by the Department of International Cooperation of the Prince's Government enables health professionals who practice in the Principality to undertake missions each year in the countries in which Monaco's Official Development Assistance operates (Senegal, Morocco, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Niger and Mauritania).

Every year, the CHPG runs training courses for medical staff (doctors, surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and midwives) who practice in various partner health establishments, to enable them to improve their skills.

* Dr. Jacques Raiga was accompanied by Professor Isabelle Rouquette Vincenti, Head of the CHPG's Anaesthesia and Resuscitation department, and Mr. Manuel Schnitzer, an operating theatre nurse.