The Alliance is a global network of international member organisations advocating for global access to emergency and essential quality, safe, timely, and affordable surgical, obstetric, trauma, and anaesthesia care (SOTA Care)

The G4 Alliance held its 12th meeting in Dublin on November 11th to 14th & was hosted by the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. Leaders in Healthcare from all over the world attended in person & virtually. The meeting focused on equity in technological innovations, building multidisciplinary teams & creating shared values from partnerships…

Speaking at this meeting on the theme of “building & leading multidisciplinary teams for essential SOTA Care” Prof Ellen O’Sullivan outlined the efforts undertaken by the CAI over many years to promote safe anaesthesia for surgery obstetric and trauma care in sub-Saharan Africa & especially in Malawi .The CAI has delivered regular courses for clinical officers and all cadres of nursing along with supporting the physician anaesthetist in Malawi. Prof O’ Sullivan discussed the CAIs role in the development of CANECSA (College of Anaesthesiologists of East, Central and Southern Africa & the ongoing support it delivers to this college along with RCSI Global & Irish Aid. The success of CANECSA in recruitment, training & running the CANECSA fellowship examinations is testament to its growing influence and success. This will hopefully lead to safer anaesthesia in these 9 countries in East, Central & Southern Africa.

In addition she highlighted the work supported by the CAI in Sub-Saharan Africa to improve access to essential, lifesaving essential monitoring like oximetry and capnography. Commenting on these initiatives Prof O’Sullivan stated that “introducing oximeters and capnography Education throughout Low and middle income countries will save more lives.”

Speakers representing all disciplines involved in surgical care addressed this meeting. Professor George Shorten President of the CAI spoke on New Horizons session on the importance of ensuring that effective Pain management is built into the implementation of any surgical or trauma programme. He referred specifically the recent work by the PainOut network across China, Mexico and Europe indicating that one quarter of all surgical inpatients experience severe pain for at least half of the first day postoperatively. He also described the prevalence and economic costs associated with Persistent Post-Surgical Pain. His third theme pointed to the potential for perioperative analgesia through manipulation of the gut microbiome, both diversity of organisms and abundance of specific genera and species. Speaking this week, Professor Shorten expressed his thanks and strong satisfaction that the Consensus document which resulted from the conference made specific reference to the need to integrate effective pain management in the planning and implementation of new surgical and trauma

We would also like to welcome Dr Bisola Obembe who is taking over as the new President of the Permanent Council of the G4 Alliance. She is a member of the Nigerian society of anaesthetists, On the EFSA executive and has huge experience in this area. Many thanks also to the outgoing President Dr Ruben Ayala, who is chief medical officer of Operation Smile, for his fantastic leadership in the past years. Also thanks to Prof Ruairi Brugha, who is Chair of the Global Surgery at RCSI for hosting this prestigious event. The CAI wishes the G4 Alliance success into the future and looks forward to co-operating with the G4 Alliance into the future.