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THE ASSOCIATION OF SURGEONS OF EAST AFRICA;
FIRST FIFTY YEARS
As we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Association of Surgeons of East Africa, it is only right that we look at the past. It has been said that no one - not even God - can change the past. But with a past as glorious as ours would we wish to change even an iota?. As we sifted through the papers in our archives dating back to the forties - we were impressed by the foresight and vision of our founding fathers. There are many important land-marks which we will mention later, but there is a common theme that needs to be loudly proclaimed, especially for the benefit of our guests who live outside this region. In the past half century, our region has undergone cataclysmic changes. As a result, the Association and its Membership now spread over seven countries, have gallantly lived through many vicissitudes, - coups and counter-coups, border closures, visa regulations, changing political systems and climate, currency restrictions and devaluations, wars and land mines, fiscal mismanagement, poor governance and human rights violations. We have weathered these storms and have not only survived but also flourished. A proposal was put forward to form the Association under the name of The Association of Surgeons of East Africa. The proposal was carried unanimously by those present. The members present quickly promoted themselves to the status of a Council! The first resolution was to the effect that those who had replied to the exploratory letter in the affirmative, should become foundation fellows. The officials elected on that date were: C. V. Braimbridge: President Kirkaldy Willis: Hon. Secretary G.E. Nevill: Hon Treasurer For quite a few years Kirkaldy Willis carried the entire secretarial office in one suitcase! To this day we have two Foundation Fellows with us, Mr. Miller and Mr. Nevill. The first President - Mr. Braimbridge continued in office for the first three formative years of the Association, 1950-53. Since then there has been a new president elected every year. Two Presidents, Mr. Croot and Mr. Nevill repeated their presidential year, not consecutively but with a gap between their two presidential terms. Apart from those worthy exceptions, the presidential post has rotated amongst eminent surgeons of the constituent countries. The first lady president was Prof. Anne Bayley in the year 1983- 84. The first president who could claim to be the son of the soil was Prof. Kyalwazi of Makerere in the year 1967-68. The greatest compliment we can pay the Association at the end of its first fifty years is that while the region was disintegrating and fragmenting, the Association was consolidating and extending. As an example, when the East African Community comprising the three charter members of the Association, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania was breaking up, the Association not only stood steadfast but also extended into Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique - further into eastern and southern Africa. The politicians soon saw the folly of their actions and are now trying desperately to rectify their errors and regroup into political and economic blocks. Wish the high and mighty had taken a leaf from us, mere surgeons! Let us start at the very beginning and the beginning can be precisely pin-pointed to the 24th January 1950. Though informal discussions on the formation of an Association took place amongst Kenyan surgeons in the late forties, the first formal meeting took place on that date in the house of Mr. Kirkaldy Willis an orthopaedic surgeon. At that meeting it was decided to write to every surgeon in Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika and Zanzibar, now Tanzania, Nyasaland, now Malawi and Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia to inquire if there was an interest in the formation of an East African Association of Surgeons. Almost a year later the inaugural meeting was held in the Council Chamber of the City Hall in Nairobi on 9th November 1950. Mr C. V. Braimbridge took the chair and Mr Kirkaldy Willis was the acting honorary secretary. Nineteen other surgeons were present. Since its inception there has also been a conference, an annual general meeting and elections every year and the Council has been meeting regularly to conduct the business of the Association. The penchant for inviting political dignitaries for opening the conferences was obviously rampant even in those days because there is letter in the archives inviting Sir Patrick Renison, the then Governor of Kenya Colony to open the Annual Conference in Nairobi on 3rd February 1960. The invitation was declined because the Governor was going to be in London to attend the Kenya Constitutional Conference at Lancaster House! Before I go into further historical details I would like to draw your attention to - perhaps the most important letter in our archives - the one Denis Burkitt wrote on 19th October 1959 in which he requested a slot at our Annual Conference to present his first paper on what came to be known as Burkitt's Lymphoma. At the Council Meeting held on 21st May 1954 in Nairobi, two important decisions were taken. The minutes mention Mr. Braimbridge talking about an ASEA tie, maroon in colour with a zebra head and crossed artery forceps. The second decision was to hold future Council Meetings in Soy at the Soy Residential Club. The choice of Soy was made because of its equidistance from Kampala and Nairobi. Though it had a magnificent golf course and there is evidence to show that some Fellows enjoyed the game of golf more than the Council meetings, the Council minutes do not mention that the Golf course in any way affected their decision! At about the same time, the first AGM was held out of Nairobi in Kampala in January 1954. A major shift came in the location of Council Meetings in 1970 when the late Sir Michael Wood of the Flying Doctor's Service was elected the President. The golfers on the Council capitulated to the pilots. With a possibility of flying Council members, possible financial support from Commonwealth Foundation, a desire to take surgery into the provinces and districts and combining Council meetings with mini-conference, the idea of 'rotation' took root. The first Council meeting on that basis took place in Kisumu on 19th February 1971 during the presidential year of the late Sir Michael Wood. Since then the Council has been hosted in most provincial and district headquarters and even smaller places in the now seven constituent countries. The Council first went to the provinces and emboldened with its success moved to the districts, where it now meets regularly with scientific and clinical sessions in tow. In 1963 it was also decided by the Council that AGMs and Annual Conferences will be always held in the first week of December and they have done so since. Having been held in Nairobi and Kampala since 1950, the first departure from this tradition took place in 1974 when for the first time it was moved to Dar - es - Salaam. Having given you the general background I would now like to enumerate some of the important landmarks
In addition we have set up specialist training centres in Mpilo Hospital, Bulawayo for Orthopaedic surgery, in Harare for Neurosurgery and in Moshi for Urology. The last one blossomed into a full fledged Surgical Institute. Once again a philanthropist from Moshi, donated money to build the institution at KCMC and this surgical institute under the patronage of ASEA is providing a certified course in higher urological training and will soon with collaboration of the local University confer higher qualifications in the same subject. I cannot close the list of landmarks without mentioning the role of Ethicon in the most laudatory terms. The company pledged in 1984 to donate £5000 to the Ethicon Fund of the Association every year with a proviso that the Association can use the interest on the capital. Today the fund stands at £72 500 including a 1999 donation of £5000. Secondly the production of our Newsletter has been financed by Ethicon since it was first published in June 1989. In addition their presence here every year, regular sponsorship of Council dinner and bringing high powered dignitaries to help us with various workshops and audio-visual aids have proved highly effective and is greatly appreciated. I must add two more developments which have taken place in recent years. In view of the local needs, surgical societies have been established in the individual countries of the region. The ASEA has shepherd them, held joint meetings with them and has established a cordial relations with these national organisations. At the same time we have helped centralisation. We are an integral and important part of PAAS, Pan-African Association of Surgeons, a continental body which has amalgamated the surgical associations and colleges in east, west and south Africa. To prove our solidarity, the PAAS conference is held now in Nairobi back to back with us and its current president is one of our very valued and respected past presidents. Ladies and gentlemen, we have come a full circle. I started by saying that we have always wanted to extend and unite and while the politicians are still dragging their feet on the subject of regional unity, we have already achieved it on the surgical level. May I end by repeating that we have a lot to brag about and you must therefore forgive me if I have blown our own trumpet a little too loud! And yet all this would not have been possible without the continuing vision, relentless efforts, hardships, sacrifices and considerable financial contribution of countless Fellows, both in the region and abroad. I would find myself in an invidious position if I attempted to name them individually. Nairobi, 1/Dec/99 |
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