By Morlai Sesay
Dr. Constance Cummings-John, the granddaughter of Sierra Leone’s Inaugural Female Mayor, etched her name in history as the country’s first Female General Surgeon. The groundbreaking announcement unfolded during an induction ceremony for fellows of the West African College of Surgeons (WACS) at the 64th annual general meeting, hosted in Sierra Leone at the Bintumani International Conference Centre in Aberdeen, Freetown, spanning from March 3rd to March 7th, 2024.
Well-dressed in blue, red, and yellow national colors, the pioneering surgeon confidently strode to the stage to receive her accolade at the well-attended regional gathering. With a familial connection to the first elected Mayor of Freetown Municipality in 1996, Constance Cummings-John’s accomplishment symbolizes a generational stride forward. Her grandmother’s legacy in civic leadership has now been complemented by her becoming Sierra Leone’s first female general surgeon.
Attaining the status of a general surgeon empowers Dr. Cummings-John to perform a spectrum of surgical procedures, address medical needs, examine patients, make diagnoses, and execute surgeries. Reflecting on the honor, she expressed elation, especially after receiving it in her homeland. “I feel happy and elated for such an award, especially when I received it in my home country, Sierra Leone,” she affirmed. Describing the achievement as a source of pride for herself and Sierra Leone, Dr. Cummings-John acknowledged her colleagues in the field of surgery. She urged aspiring female surgeons to persevere, emphasizing the possibility of achieving similar milestones.
She attributed her award to Sierra Leone’s recent advancements in the medical field, emphasizing the growth in specialized human resources within the country. “This award means that Sierra Leone is growing and improving its human resources, for we have more specialists now in the country,” she added. Addressing the prevalent issue of brain drain in Sierra Leone’s medical sector, where professionals often migrate abroad, Dr. Cummings-John affirmed her strong desire to continue serving her home country. Despite challenges, she stressed her unparalleled love and support for Sierra Leone, stating, “I intend to stay in Sierra Leone because of the love that I have for my country. We may not have everything here, but the love and support of my country cannot be compared to any other place, so definitely, that is a factor holding me back.” Currently stationed at Connaught Hospital in Freetown, Dr. Cummings-John is dedicated to her service and encourages aspiring female surgeons to pursue their passion.
As a special guest of honor, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Hinga Demby, on behalf of the West African people, congratulated the 903 graduates on their efforts to work hard and achieve such a coveted certificate in their academic careers. He implored all new graduates to ensure they provide quality surgical treatments they had been so well trained to deliver. Speaking on behalf of the governments of all West African countries, the Minister encouraged all heads of state in the sub-region to create an enabling environment for these experts to be able to thrive, retain, and stay in their respective countries so that they could deliver the best surgical care for their people.
Commenting on the expected commitment from every citizen in the sub-region, he explained that “working towards this commitment must be deliberate. It is not something you have to pray about because prayer is not a strategy. We need to be deliberate in our efforts and assertive in order to ensure that these talents we have worked so hard to garner will be encouraged and, at the same time, create the opportunity and environment for them to thrive in our nations”.
Minister Demby disclosed the government of Sierra Leone’s commitment to bring up to 700 surgical specialists in the country to talk about surgery issues and how to make surgery affordable, accessible, and safe for everyone in the sub-region and that the government is ready to pay particular attention to what that means for the people of Sierra Leone. He updated that the ambition of His Excellency, the president of the Republic of Sierra Leone, is to build more hospitals that would allow surgeons to do their jobs easily.
The Minister intimated that in the next few weeks, the government plans to open an ultra-modern pediatric hospital in Lumley and another one in Kono in the next few months. The government, he said, plans to build five major hospitals in all the regional hubs that would facilitate easy landing zones for any new medical graduates in the country.
President of the West African College of Surgeons, Emmanuel R. Ezeome, explained how the distribution of these graduates would translate into an increasing number of graduates from faculties and countries that were not producing surgical specialists before and that it demonstrated the popularity and need for the membership category of their surgeons. The most significant drawback in the output this year, he said, is the reduction in the total number of graduates caused by the brain drain phenomenon. He stated that WACS has concluded that the ultimate solution to the recurring issue is good governance, stability in the region, and reasonable remuneration of professionals in different countries.
Touching on their responsibility as a training body, Ezeoma pointed out the need to double their efforts to train more surgeons. “We are committed to training more surgeons and recognizing the countries in need in the region where urgent action is needed to Improve the number of trained surgeons. We are committed to extending our unbundling activities in those areas and use any facility to extend training facilities where they can be reasonably conducted and collaborate, mentor, and guide individual sister colleges to improve the outputs of well-trained surgeons to serve our nations”, he assured.
He confessed to all graduates that the certificates they had received were priceless, noting that it would afford opportunities for them anywhere in the world. Ezeoma implored the graduates to remember that it would take generations to end the status and respect of the WACS certificates conferred on them because it opens doors to international opportunities. He, however, advised all graduates to note that their countries need them more than any place in the world since that was why they had to spend their resources to train them. He concluded by admonishing all students that “This is not a means of advocating for the restriction of your movement to any part of the world, but we urge you to consider your social responsibilities to your communities, to your countries, and West Africa as a region. As you thrive and prosper in your lives, please remember the college that shaped and prepared you for a successful professional life”.
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