Africa
Since 1998, GICAM has been operating in various regions of West and East Africa, offering specialized surgical interventions and medical training programs.
Benin : The GICAM program in Benin was one of the historic projects of our activity in Africa and represented a milestone in our journey. From 1998 to 2008, three surgical camps per year were regularly organized at the St. Jean de Dieu Hospital, located in Tanguietà, in the northern part of the country, near the border with Burkina Faso. The main objective of the project was to support local medical staff in the treatment of complex congenital defects of the hand and upper limbs, as well as post-traumatic deformities. Through specialized surgical interventions and continuous training activities, the program aimed to improve the quality of care and strengthen the skills of local health professionals, helping to build a sustainable care model. The experience gained in Benin played an important role in the evolution of GICAM's activities in West Africa.
Togo : From 1998 to 2008, GICAM conducted regular missions in Togo, focusing its activities at the Saint Jean de Dieu Hospital in Afagnan, a referral health facility located about 70 kilometers from Lomé, the capital. The hospital, run by the Fatebenefratelli, is known for providing quality care in a rural area with limited access to specialized health services.
Over the course of this decade, numerous surgical camps have been held, mainly focused on reconstructive surgery, with particular attention to the correction of pediatric paralysis, trauma outcomes, and severe burns affecting the hands and upper limbs. The missions also had an important training component, working alongside local medical personnel to improve the clinical and surgical approach to complex pathologies.
Kenya : From 2007 to 2015, GICAM conducted an intensive program in Kenya, focusing its activities at the Bishop Kioko Catholic Hospital in Machakos, a town located about 60 km south-east of Nairobi. The hospital, founded and managed by the local Catholic diocese, is one of the main health facilities in the region, committed to providing accessible care to a large rural and peri-urban population.
Over the course of five years, ten surgical camps were organized, mainly focused on the treatment of complex pediatric conditions, including congenital malformations of the hand and upper limb, untreated trauma and sequelae of burns. Clinical activities were always accompanied by training sessions for local healthcare personnel, with the aim of strengthening their skills and promoting sustainable solutions.
Sierra Leone : In 2007, GICAM founded the first Hand Surgery Centre in Makeni, in the north of Sierra Leone, a region severely affected by the consequences of the civil war that ended in 2002. The choice of Makeni – a reference city for the entire northern province – was strategic to ensure access to specialist care in a particularly isolated area lacking advanced surgical services.
The facility, located within a health complex owned by the local Catholic diocese, has been completely renovated thanks to the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Caritas. The center is equipped with operating rooms for complex reconstructive surgery, an orthopedic workshop for the production of customized prostheses, and a physiotherapy department for post-operative rehabilitation.
In response to the severe mutilations suffered by thousands of children and adults during the conflict – often victims of amputations, burns and disabling injuries – the GICAM program offered not only surgical treatments, but also rehabilitation and social and work reintegration paths. Special attention was paid to the training of local staff, with practical and theoretical courses, and to the management of home care programs for patients who could not easily reach the facility.
Over the years, the center has become a point of reference for the entire nation and for neighboring countries, consolidating a model of integrated and sustainable assistance in a post-emergency context.
Ghana : Since 2013, GICAM has been organizing two surgical camps per year at St. Joseph Hospital in Koforidua, one of the leading health facilities in the Eastern Region of Ghana, specializing in orthopedics and reconstructive surgery. Located about 80 kilometers from the capital Accra, Koforidua is a well-connected and relatively safe city, making it an ideal reference point for patients coming not only from Ghana, but also from neighboring countries in West Africa.
St. Joseph Hospital is a missionary institution founded in the 1950s, recognized for the quality of its care and its ability to accommodate and treat complex orthopedic cases. Our team works closely with local staff to provide specialized surgical procedures for children and adults with congenital malformations, obstetric paralysis, trauma or burns, and other upper extremity conditions.
In addition to the surgical activity, each mission is accompanied by moments of training in the field, with the aim of strengthening the technical skills of local operators and promoting a shared approach to patient care. In more than ten years of collaboration, the program has contributed to concretely improving the quality of available care and building a solid network between international and Ghanaian specialists.
Burkina Faso : From 2007 to 2019, GICAM conducted surgical camps at the St. Paul Hospital in Ouagadougou, a referral facility located in the capital, active in providing accessible care to the urban and rural population.
The facility is known for its commitment to social medicine and accessibility of services, in a national context marked by serious health shortages and a high incidence of trauma related to agricultural activities, road accidents and domestic burns.
The missions focused on reconstructive hand surgery, treating mainly children with congenital malformations or post-traumatic injuries. Despite recent interruptions due to political instability, the collaboration continues with remote consultations, while waiting to be able to resume activities on site.
Uganda : From 2016 to 2019, GICAM organized missions at Corsu Rehabilitation Hospital in Kisubi, moving from directly managing operations to empowering local surgeons to independently perform complex hand surgeries, thanks to the training received from our teams. After five years, from 29 to 31 July 2024, we held a mini-camp at St. Kizito Hospital Matany, in the North-East region, with the aim of establishing a long-term presence that will start in August 2025 with the intention of carrying out 2-3 surgical missions per year.
St. Kizito Hospital Matany is a mission hospital serving one of the most remote and least accessible areas of the country, with limited resources but a strong commitment to the local population. The Karamoja region, where Matany is located, presents significant health challenges and a very limited availability of hand surgery specialists, making our presence even more relevant.