East African Association Of Neurological Surgeons, Prof. G M Sande Memorial Lecture: The Devolution Of Neurosurgical Services In Kenya: Status At 2025.

Abstract

Prof. Sande attended Kakamega High School in the early sixties, where he was the school captain. He then joined Makerere University College to study Medicine and graduated in 1969. He did his internship at the Coast General Hospital Mombasa. He was amongst the 3 pioneer doctors selected by the Ministry of Health and University of Nairobi to undertake training in General Surgery in the newly established MMed General Surgery Program at the Kenyatta National Hospital. The other two were the late Prof Peter Abila (pediatric surgeon) and Prof. P. A. Odhiambo (cardiothoracic surgeon). He graduated with the MMed (General Surgery) degree from the University of Nairobi in 1975, after which he joined the Department of Surgery, University of Nairobi, as a lecturer on staff development for further training in neurosurgery. He undertook his neurosurgical training at the Kenyatta National Hospital under Prof. J. Dar. He received further training in neurosurgery in Belfast and at the Institute of Neurological Sciences, Glasgow, under Prof. Bryan Jennett and Prof. Graham Teasdale, after which he returned back to Kenya and rejoined the unit. In 1984, with the departure of Dr. J. Dar, who was on secondment to the unit from the Indian Government, Prof. Gerishom Sande became head of the neurosurgical unit. Prominent neurosurgeons who were privileged to have worked with him in the unit include Prof. Nimrod Mwang’ombe, the late Dr. Athanus Maingi, Dr. Mahmood Qureshi, and Dr. Patrick Akuku. He retired from the university in 1990 to go into full-time private practice in Nairobi, where he was based until his retirement from active neurosurgical practice. Prof. Sande was Hon. Secretary of the Association of Surgeons of East Africa (1979-1983) and Chairman in 1985. He was the Hon. Secretary of the Pan African Association of Neurological Sciences from 1981 to 1983 and, later, Chairman of the Association of Professional Societies of East Africa.  Prof. Sande retired to a quiet life in his farm in Migori County, Kenya, where he spent the later years of his life. He passed away in his sleep in the early hours of the morning on 30th October 2019. His last resting place is at his family home in Migori County. It’s a great honor to give this memorial lecture in memory of our late colleague Prof. Gerishom Sande. In this lecture we shall review the progress we have made in the training of neurosurgeons in our country, the challenges involved, and how we can strengthen our programs.