Kigali Surgery Innovation Hackathon 2018:

Please read our report here.

Foreword from Isaac Ndayishimiye

Students should not only consider themselves to be the future leaders of the global surgery but also the present leaders

For this hackathon, we saw the integration of ideas from across the surgical system as well as the collaboration of students from a variety of technical backgrounds and areas of expertise. We welcomed keynotes from experts in Global Surgery, Global Anesthesia, Global Neurosurgery, Surgical Innovation and Technologies, Global Surgery Engineering, and Surgical Infections and Safety Research, from across Rwanda and abroad; from America, Belgium and Germany.

The event unified students to work together to address challenges, both within our local and global communities. While students are often considered the future leaders, we believe that there must also be recognition of students as present leaders. As digital natives, students are able to think innovatively and flexibly in the context of using technology to solve problems for patient care, whether in the hospital or community setting. We also place a heavy value on the importance of multi-disciplinary teamwork and diversity; wider inclusion leads to greater overall success for all.

We place a heavy value on diversity; wider inclusion leads to greater overall success for all.

Together, actions led by these values have the potential to accelerate a future where healthcare professionals work in close partnership with other key stakeholders from other fields of work, such as software engineers, business consultants, and product designers. One day, perhaps soon, the next hackathon will lead to the organization of a formal university innovation hub – readily accessible to all students, whenever and wherever needed. The continuation of these kinds of initiatives could have an enormously positive impact on local health, global health, and global surgery – especially for patients who lack access to safe, affordable surgical care close to home.

We believe in the future of global surgical care is in good hands

With all of this said, we must also address the very real global issues that surround access to affordable and timely surgical and anesthesia care globally. Today, 5 billion people lack access to surgery when needed and we face many opportunities ahead when working to change this. For example, in Rwanda many technologies that are used in the hospital setting are either broken, unaffordable, or badly maintained, because many are sourced from abroad. At the hackathon, we saw how students have already began to find locally-developed and locally-inspired solutions to some of these challenges; we believe that the future of surgical care is in good hands.

The opportunities for surgical innovation that we stand to realize are huge, in a world where digital tools are giving rise to new health platforms that are increasingly useful to surgeons, community healthcare workers, and patients alike. We are on our way to a future of surgical care that is more predictive, preventative, and personalized, driven by innovations in digital health.

A future of surgical care that is more predictive, preventative, and personalized, driven by innovations in digital health

InciSion Rwanda will continue to host future events and expand its international links within the global surgery and digital innovation community. We will do this to ensure sustainability and to maximize the long-standing impact of our students on the future of surgical care for all in our country and around the world. We welcome you to Kigali on 20-21^st April, 2019 where our local InciSion chapter will host the 2^nd international InciSion Global Surgery Symposium 2019, IGSS, in Rwanda: the country where all young people strive to see a world where all are able to receive safe, affordable surgical care when needed.

This event report is intended to begin a conversation about how we can best realize the promise and power of our students and younger generation. I hope you find the report valuable, I look forward to meet you at our upcoming events, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the coming year.

Isaac Ndayishimiye

National lead, InciSion Rwanda

Medical student, University of Rwanda

Event report highlights