The Lichtenstein technique, involves an open, tension-free inlay mesh repair for indirect and direct inguinal hernias.  Lichtenstein technique has currently been clinically accepted as a reliable method and standard medical procedures, and most surgeons learn it during their surgical training and perform later on their patients.

Professor Michael Yeboah, the President of the Hernia Society of Ghana, at the opening ceremony in Accra, revealed that the national burden of inguinal hernia was high. He said the new skills and technology being introduced, would enhance the work of surgeons especially those in the Districts, and also minimise surgical hazards.

He said the Trainer of Trainees (ToT) workshop was a collaboration among the Incision Netherlands, Hernia Society of Ghana, Ghana Health Service (GHS), and the Medical and Surgical Skills Training Institute at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

It would also promote standardisation of care for patients, with added benefit of consolidating the country’s leading role in bringing quality health care and training to the sub-region. He said to ensure continuous education under the training regime, Incision’s Academy which was also internet based, had created an online platform committed to standardising the training of surgical care providers, and offered online step-by-step guide at the level of individual surgical procedures.

He explained that with the new online Model, surgeons could practise theoretically using their Samsung 3D viewer mobile phones and other hardware including LCD televisions and glasses, to watch the incision surgical videos, to understand the processes before the actual surgical procedures were performed on patients.

Prof. Yeboah said the introduction of the learning platform meant that doctors who wanted to upgrade themselves in a particular surgical procedure, could register to be part of the Academy.  He said the academy would train, test and score their performance, which could be used later for their continuous professional assessment.

He said the Hernia Society of Ghana would pursue the collaboration among the GHS, Incision Netherlands as well as the College of Physicians and Surgeons, to secure the required licences that would enable Medical professionals to freely access it for full benefit. Prof. Adu Aryee, the Head of the Surgical Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, emphasised on the need for Ghana to subscribe to the global standardisation in surgical procedures, to ensure quality and safety care for patients.

He thanked Incision for the initiative, saying the Lichtenstein technique had become popular, and practically replaced older procedures that used sutures under tension to fix the hernia defect, as the hernia recurrence rate was significantly lower and the patient comfort after surgery was significantly higher.

Dr Elvis Kuma Forson, the lead at the Service Hub and Incision Country Representative, said The Ghana Hernia Society would later, make follow ups to the various Regions and Districts to ensure the establishment of resource centres for training and research. He thanked MTN Ghana for donating 10 mobile phones to facilitate 3D viewing and also communication among doctors on the caller user phone group.

He said with the new developments, medical officers in the districts would not need to come and compete with other specialist trainees at the tertiary facilities and would help retain the medical officers within the community based health facilities where they were most needed.

Dr Forson pointed out that the introduction of the online academy would bring in a number of benefits to the service, including helping doctors acquire skills that could give them confidence to perform the necessary surgical procedures with the desired outcome and prevent post-surgical complications.