CANECSA LAUNCHES A MAP OF THE ANAESTHESIOLOGIST WORKFORCE
The College of Anaesthesiologists of East, Central and Southern Africa (CANECSA) has launched a map of the physician Anaesthesiologist workforce in the eight member countries of the College: Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The map helps to describe the distribution of the anaesthesiologist workforce at various levels, from national level right down to district level.
The map was produced in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA), the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland (CAI), Queen’s University Belfast, the Anaesthesiology Association of Uganda and the University of California San Francisco. This work is supported by Irish Aid as part of the “Building Anaesthesia Training in the ECSA Region” collaborative programme.
The anaesthesiologist workforce is dynamic and data will be regularly updated. CANECSA welcomes feedback and updated information, please reach us through admin@canecsa.com Greater detail on the composition of the workforce will be published in a peer reviewed journal in due course.

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CANECSA Training Manual Launched
CANECSA is delighted to announce the publication of the CANECSA Training Manual. The purpose of this manual is to provide basic information about CANECSA training and examinations in one single place. This manual is suitable for CANECSA trainees and prospective trainees, as well as CANECSA trainers and anyone who may wish to know more about the CANECSA training programme. It will also be printed and distributed to CANECSA trainees and trainers in the coming months. It was produced in association with the partners of the “Building Anaesthesia Training in the ECSA Region” Programme, funded by Irish Aid.

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SMILE TRAINING – CANECSA SCHOLARSHIP 2021 – 2022
The Smile Training in collaboration with CANECSA offers a two years scholarship to Fellow Candidates Anaesthesiologists who are currently enrolled at the college.
This collaborative programme aims to foster safety in patients through anaesthesia and critical care medicine education training and research.
Award component
Annual academic tuition fees
Annual stipend towards living expenses and access to IT
A travel allowance towards attendance at CANECSA exams and seminars in selected African countries (economy class) and attendance of one short course per year in any of the CANECSA countries
Candidate’s conditions of eligibility
Must have admission letter form CANECSA
Demonstrate the potential to rise to positions of leadership and influence
Meet the minimum English language requirements for admission to CANECSA Fellowship training
Be domiciled in one of the CANECSA countries at the time of applying for the award and intend to work in their home country at the end of the scholarship
Have completed a MMed program or MCA qualification or the equivalent
Acknowledge the support of Smile Train through the Smile Train – CANECSA Scholarship programme
Eligible countries
CANECSA Constituent member countries; Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
HOW TO APPLY
Send a detailed cover letter and CV explaining why you should be considered for this scholarship to the email address below;
admin@canecsa.com
Deadline is 30th October 2021
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CANECSA FIRST GRADUATION – 2021
The College of Anaesthesiologists East Central and Southern Africa (CANECSA) has the pleasure of welcoming nineteen (19) new Fellows to the College. Having successfully completed the CANECSA written and clinical examinations during the very challenging times and circumstances because of COVID 19 pandemic, they are now Fellows by Examination of the College of Anaesthesiologists of East, Central and Southern Africa – FCA (ECSA)
They must be commended for their performance in very challenging times and circumstances because of the COVID 19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic situation in the region, the only in-person graduation ceremony took place for the new Malawian Fellows, other graduands will graduate virtually on September 2021.
The new Fellows joined the college in May 2020 as fellowship trainees who undertook online training and written and clinical examinations. The college had a total of 23 fellowship candidates of whom 19 are making history as the first CANECSA Fellows by Examination. This is the huge milestone for CANECSA and its partners who have walked the talk.
“The Anaesthesiologists who have officially become Fellows of CANECSA, have brought so much joy to me as a president and have done us proud. We are grateful for our partners who have continued supporting us until today we are setting a history of the college”, said the president of the college – Dr. Mpoki Ullisubisya.
About CANECSA: CANECSA is the College of Anaesthesiologists of East, Central and Southern Africa. Constituent member countries are Eswatini, Namibia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The college was founded in 2011 with an aim of advancing education, standards, and research in safe anaesthesia and critical care for the people of East, Central and Southern Africa. CANECSA is an affiliate college of the East, Central and Southern Africa College of Health Sciences.
Membership: The College is comprised of Fellows, Members and Associate Members.
Partners: RCSI, CAI, CANECSA Alliance, Deckermed and COSECSA
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CANECSA Fellowship Clinical Examination Held January 20th
Twenty-three candidates for the Fellowship of the College of Anaesthesiologists (FCA) examinations are undertaking their clinical written examinations today. Candidates are from Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This has a been a great milestone for the College of Anaesthesiologists of East, Central and Southern Africa.
The clinical examination is part two of the overall FCA exam. Part one of the exam was a written exam held on 7 October 2021. Part two was intended to be an oral clinical examination but due to the COVID 19 pandemic, a clinical written exam was held instead.
CANECSA has both Fellowship and Membership categories. See the CANECSA Training page for more information on how prospective candidates can apply for training.
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Application Period for CANECSA Training Extended to January 31st
See the “Training” page for more information.
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Applications for CANECSA Training Now Open
Online application 2021-2022 for the CANECSA membership of the College of Anaesthesiologists (MCA) and Fellowship of the College of Anaesthesiologists (FCA) will be open from 1st December 2020. Both training programmes are for a minimum period of two years.
- MCA is a certificate of competence in anaesthesiology; it is not an exit qualification and does not confer specialist status.
- FCA is an exit qualification conferring specialist status.
Training: Candidates will begin CANECSA training in January 2021 and will be eligible to sit examinations in late 2022. The training will be provided by CANECSA trained and accredited trainers.
Currently CANECSA is working with national regulatory bodies to accredit training institutions in member countries. The registration deadline for the MCA and FCA training programme will be December 31st every year.
See the CANECSA Training page for more information and details of how to apply.
“This marks a milestone in Anaesthesiology training in East, Central and Southern Africa, and an important step on the road to providing high quality anaesthesia and critical care services to all people in the region, says the registrar” said Dr. Doreen Mashava, CANECSA Registrar.
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In Memory of Dr Edson Chikumba
The College of Anaesthesiologists of East, Central and Southern Africa is deeply saddened to announce the untimely death of Dr Edson Chikumba.
Dr Chikunda joined CANECSA as a Founding Fellow and served as the Chairman of the Finance and General Purposes Committee from 2014.
A memorial service will be held on November 21st. May he rest in peace.
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CANECSA Written Examinations Held Oct 7th
HERE WE ARE – A LONG AWAITED MOMENT FOR CANECSA!
On October 7th, Membership (MCA) and Fellowship (FCA) candidates sat the very first written exams of the College of Anaesthesiologists of East, Central and Southern Africa (CANECSA). The College is thrilled to mark this important occasion in its history. “This has been a long-awaited moment for the College” noted Dr Doreen Mashava, CANECSA Registrar, during her remarks before the start of the exam. A total of 35 candidates sat for the online written examination: 11 Membership and 24 Fellowship candidates. The candidates come from Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The College has been preparing for this moment since 2009, where the idea of a College of Anaesthesia arose from the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Ministers’ Conference.
“The ministers noted that the quality of training examinations across the region was variable and the numbers trained were insufficient. Thus, the College was officially formed in 2011 aiming to advance education, standards, and research in safe anaesthesia and critical care for the people of East, Central, Southern Africa and beyond” explained Dr Mpoki Ulisubisya, CANECSA President, during the wrap up session with CANECSA country representatives. A governing body was formed including the Examination and Credentials Committee who were on the frontline preparing this exam.
“As we are making this historical milestone in terms of development of the College, you as the candidates you are sitting for the first time. The Membership candidates who will be successful for this exam will sit for another exam in the near future and the Fellow candidates will be having a clinical exam next year” said Dr David Polepole, Chair of the Examination and Credentials Committee during his opening remarks.
Our sincere thanks to our colleagues in the East Central and Southern African Health Community and all of our partners, particularly the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa, the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland, Irish Aid and the anaesthesiology societies from Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
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COVID 19 Updates for CANECSA Regions
CANECSA is now providing a dedicated webpage with information on COVID 19 for Anaesthesiologists – www.cancesa.com/covid with thanks to our partners, the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland.
Regularly updated information on COVID 19 for Anaesthesiologists is available here.
Regularly updated information on the COVID 19 pandemic in East, Central and Southern Africa is available here. This information is provided by ECSA-HC.
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