Message from Dr Daniel Ojuka: President, SSK Council
Innovations in Surgical Service Delivery
Welcome to the 23rd scientific conference and 24th AGM of the surgical society of Kenya. As a society, we have prepared an international standard conference with both pre-conference on innovations and the main conference. You will be listening to named lectures, panel discussions, scientific sessions and hands-on workshops and seminars. These are aimed at helping us understand how we can make innovations while being safe, and affordable and increasing our competency as professionals.
Our main strategic plan as the surgical society of Kenya is to have competent surgeons who achieve quality outcomes in a safe environment. A safe and competent surgeon must be skilled and adept in appropriate patient care and have a fundamental and grounded foundation in up-to-date medical knowledge. The achievement of a safe and competent surgeon is through a process of lifelong practice-based learning that enables us to learn and improve on every patient encounter.
Major obstacles to achieving this will encompass interpersonal skills, communication, professionalism, and the ability to work effectively with the system. Interpersonal skills and communication are heavily grounded on the ability to transmit to the patient that you are a caring surgeon willing to spend time with your patient. This is done by listening, prompting questions, and explaining in layman’s language the pros and cons of the intervention. The next is a breakdown in professionalism -we work in an environment of uncertainty and lack of collegiality, disruptive behaviour and the socio-economic complexities involved in the management of the patient.
How do we ensure that in this environment we bring in innovations that will enable us to have quality but affordable services using technology? It is these and many more that we hope that we will discuss both the pre-conference and the main conference. We welcome you to explore the preconference stream, and the exhibitors’ stands, participate actively, and inquisitively in every session you attend, and make it worth your every shilling while at it.