Key result
Over 20% of South Africa's cardiologists attended the 2017 ESC Congress, illustrating the severe shortage of trained cardiovascular specialists in the region.
Highlights the scarcity of trained cardiologists in sub-Saharan Africa and the need for innovative approaches to cardiovascular care.
Karen Sliwa MD PhD FESC FACC spoke to CardioPulse at the ESC Congress in Barcelona When Karen Sliwa pointed out that over 20% of South Africa’s cardiologists attended the 2017 ESC Congress in Barcelona, it was not an indication that masses of specialists had descended on the Spanish city, but a stark illustration of how small the pool of trained cardiologists is in comparison to other countries. Sliwa directs the Hatter Institute for Cardiovascular Research in Africa at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and she has a joint clinical appointment in cardiology at Groote Schuur Hospital. She is known for her work in heart failure and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the peripartum period as well as the unique Heart of Soweto and Heart of Africa studies. She is president-elect of the World Heart Federation. Last year, the University of Cape Town celebrated the 50th anniversary of the world’s first human heart transplant by Christiaan Barnard in 1967. It was an appropriate moment to reflect on the current situation in sub-Saharan Africa and some of the challenges that lie ahead. Although cardiologists are few in South Africa, where Sliwa has been working for over 25 years, they are even scarcer in some parts of the continent. Despite a lack of human resources, the continent is making headway and finding innovative ways to provide therapies and treatments.
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Judy Ozkan (2018) conducted an editorial in Cardiovascular disease. Over 20% of South Africa's cardiologists attended the 2017 ESC Congress, illustrating the severe shortage of trained cardiovascular specialists in the region.