Download logoDr Rosalitta Jaida Toogbabu, a resident doctor at Princess Christian Maternity Hospital in Sierra Leone, had observed a radical hysterectomy only twice and had never participated in the procedure. Thanks to ongoing training and mentorship during surgical camps, she can now anticipate the next steps of the operation.
"Before I joined the surgical camps for radical hysterectomy, I had read about it in books," she recalls. "I had zero skills, but I was ready to learn fast, knowing well that it is energy and time consuming."
Princess Christian Maternity Hospital is Sierra Leone's only tertiary maternal health facility. Dr Toogbabu has been receiving training at the facility through the country's Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative (CCEI). Since 2024, a series of surgical camps conducted by the Ministry of Health, through south-south collaboration with the Ministry of Health in Zambia and supported by World Health Organization (WHO), Friends of Africa and other partners, have brought international expertise to Sierra Leone, giving 15 women diagnosed with early-stage cervical cancer access to complex, life-saving surgery, while training local specialists the country needs to sustain these services.
Dr Toogbabu can point to the moment when she first felt her transformation.
During the most recent camps, held in December 2025 and July 2026, she found herself anticipating the process rather than simply following along. "I had more responsibility during the last camp, and I had to step up because we had surgeons from other country joining us," she said.
This growing confidence has reshaped how Dr Toogbabu views her patients and her specialty. Cervical cancer, she explains, was once an almost-certain death sentence for many women in Sierra Leone. Watching women’s health improve camp after camp has changed her perception.
The path has not been easy. The hospital runs on fixed clinical schedules, so Dr Toogbabu often arrives early and stays late to complete her ward duties during camps, relying on colleagues to cover for her when needed. Mentorship, she says, has carried her through the difficult moments. She credits Dr Michael Ezeanochie, a gynaecology oncologist who leads her department and has mentored local teams since the initiative began in 2024.
While visiting international experts, guided by Dr Samson Chisele and Dr Groesbeck Parham from Zambia, led in the earlier camps, Dr Ezeanochie led the 2026 camp on his own. "We have talented and highly motivated doctors in Sierra Leone. With continued mentorship, exposure and institutional support, there is every reason to be optimistic about the future," says Ezeanochie.
For Dr Toogbabu, learning a procedure that once required Sierra Leonean women to seek care abroad carries personal as well as professional weight. She has long aspired to a career in gynaecological oncology and the camps, she says, are bringing that goal within reach.
She is candid, however, about what still stands between her and independent practice. “My training will not be sufficient. I need exposure to a high volume of cases in centres where such procedures are performed daily or weekly, as well as training in other aspects of gynaecological oncology that are not currently available in Sierra Leone,” she says.
With the skills and experience she has already acquired and those she hopes to gain in the future, Dr Toogbabu intends to strengthen cervical cancer prevention efforts, expand oncology services and contribute to shaping national policies and training programmes in Sierra Leone and beyond.
"We are gradually moving to specialized care, and we hope to someday provide expert care with dedication, discipline and appropriate support," she says.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.
