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OUGSG members attend 5th Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery Conference

Members of the Oxford University Global Surgery Group (OUGSG) attended the 5th Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery (GICS) Conference in Manila, Philippines held in February this year.

Gerlin Naidoo presenting at the Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery Conference
Gerlin Naidoo presenting a ‘frugal’ innovation model of the neonatal thorax in the low-cost surgical simulator competition

This biennial conference was attended by over 400 delegates representing all continents, with a balance of low-to-middle-income (LMIC) and high-income country (HIC) representatives. GICS is a consortium of children’s healthcare providers, institutions, and allies from around the globe. The organisation aims to catalyse, advocate for, and promote increased global commitment and investment in all aspects of children’s surgical care, particularly in areas with limited resources. 

OUGSG DPhil students Dennis Mazingi and Gerlin Naidoo were invited to help deliver a workshop for conference delegates on research skills and acumen. In addition, Dennis (Global Surgery DPhil Candidate, NDS) also spoke to the conference about his research into trauma databanks in low-resource settings. While Gerlin (Global Surgery DPhil Candidate, NDS) presented her work investigating the role of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in paediatric surgery globally. The team, supervised by Professor Kokila Lakhoo (Oxford Professor of Paediatric Global Surgery) also competed in the low-cost surgical simulator competition, presenting a ‘frugal’ innovation model of the neonatal thorax which they have used effectively over many years to deliver neonatal surgical skills training for COSECSA (College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa) and PAPSA (Pan-African Paediatric Surgery Association). 

The conference proved an invaluable opportunity to reconnect with global colleagues and generate further research streams. Panel discussions with leaders of multinational NGOs and the World Health Organisation were instrumental in fuelling policy dialogue and highlighting action points to safeguard children’s surgery as a priority on the global health agenda. Set against the backdrop of beautiful Manila, the city itself showcases stark inequity between the ‘have’s’ and ‘have-nots’. This served as a poignant reminder for all delegates of the distance still to travel in order to ‘raise the floor’ of children’s wellbeing globally. 

Gerlin Naidoo, Kokila Lakhoo and Dennis Mazingi standing in front of their research poster at the Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery Conference. Gerlin Naidoo, Professor Kokila Lakhoo and Dennis Mazingi alongside the poster 'Global Survey on Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) use in Paediatric Surgery.'
Kokila Lakhoo speaking at the Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery Conference. Professor Kokila Lakhoo speaking at the conference.
Dennis Mazingi presenting at the Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery Conference Dennis Mazingi presenting at the conference.

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