To enhance emergency care and trauma management in Senegal, the Centre for Global Surgery (CGS) and Gaston Berger University organized key training sessions in Dakar from October 20 to 22, 2025. Offered in French, these courses focused on the Essential Technical Skills (ETS) of the Trauma and Disaster Team Response (TDTR) program, aiming to improve the response of healthcare professionals and non-medical responders in underserved areas.
A total of 40 participants—including surgeons, doctors, nurses, and especially firefighters, the country's primary first responders—attended the training. An additional group of 7 individuals was trained as instructors to enable the replication of the course. Feedback was highly positive: 86% rated the training as "excellent" and 14% as "good."
The TDTR session dedicated to ETS, attended by 47 participants, concentrated on essential pre-hospital skills: hemorrhage control and tourniquet application, basic airway management, immobilization, and safe patient transfer. These skills were chosen based on local needs, particularly for rural regions where access to care is limited.
Among the participants in the final evaluation, 52% reported achieving mastery of the skills, and 24% noted significant improvement. The most notable progress was observed in: team roles in patient management, transfer criteria, transport safety, tourniquet use, airway management, and spinal immobilization. Furthermore, 90% of participants deemed the practical exercises largely sufficient for acquiring and applying these essential skills.
By combining theory, simulations, and practical workshops, these training sessions significantly strengthened local capacity to respond effectively to emergencies. This initiative, supported by CGS, Gaston Berger University, and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, promotes surgical equity and enhances disaster preparedness in Senegal.
In light of the program's success, Senegalese authorities are now considering deploying it nationwide, with the continued support of the CGS.