African Federation for Emergency Medicine

African Federation for Emergency Medicine
Name	African Federation for Emergency Medicine
Abbreviation	AFEM
Formation	2008
Type	Non-profit organization
Purpose	Development of emergency care systems in Africa
Headquarters	Cape Town, South Africa
Region served	Africa

African Federation for Emergency Medicine The African Federation for Emergency Medicine is a continental professional association dedicated to advancing emergency care across Africa. It collaborates with international actors, regional bodies, and national stakeholders to develop prehospital systems, emergency medicine training, and research capacity. AFEM engages with organizations, universities, and health ministries to influence policy, standardize clinical practice, and support workforce development.

History

The federation was founded in 2008 following regional meetings that included delegates from South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda and representatives linked to World Health Organization, International Committee of the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Royal College of Surgeons of England and American College of Emergency Physicians. Early conferences convened alongside events such as the World Health Assembly and the International Federation for Emergency Medicine symposia, with key contributions from institutions like the University of Cape Town, Aga Khan University, Makerere University and University of Lagos. Milestones included establishment of continental guidelines influenced by consultations with African Union, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, East African Community, and donors such as United States Agency for International Development and Department for International Development.

Organization and Governance

AFEM operates through a secretariat hosted in South Africa and a board composed of elected representatives from subregions including West Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa and Central Africa. Governance structures reference procedures similar to those used by World Health Organization collaborating centers, with committees on education, research, advocacy, and clinical standards often including members from University of Nairobi, Stellenbosch University, Cairo University, University of Ibadan, and Addis Ababa University. The federation’s constitution outlines membership categories for national societies, institutional affiliates, and individual clinicians, interacting with regulatory bodies such as Health Professions Council of South Africa and national ministries like the Kenyan Ministry of Health and Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health.

Programs and Activities

AFEM convenes biennial congresses and regional workshops through partnerships with organizations including International Committee of the Red Cross, Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Médecins Sans Frontières, Save the Children, and World Bank. Programmatic areas include prehospital care development modeled on systems in Rwanda, Ghana National Ambulance Service, and South African Emergency Medical Services, emergency department strengthening akin to initiatives at Groote Schuur Hospital and Mulago Hospital, and mass-casualty coordination drawing on protocols from United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Médecins Sans Frontières operations. AFEM runs advocacy campaigns aligned with resolutions from the World Health Assembly and collaborates with specialty societies like College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa and Paediatric Association of Nigeria.

Education and Training

The federation develops curricula and short courses in collaboration with universities and colleges such as University of Cape Town, Aga Khan University Hospital, Makerere University, University of Ibadan, University of Pretoria and professional bodies like Royal College of Emergency Medicine and American College of Emergency Physicians. Training programs include advanced life support courses adapted from Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support templates, trauma training influenced by the Advanced Trauma Life Support program, and prehospital education drawing on models from the European Resuscitation Council and International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation. AFEM supports residency development, fellowship exchanges with institutions including Johns Hopkins University, Harvard Medical School, University of Toronto, and regional simulation workshops partnering with Simulation in Healthcare networks.

Research and Publications

AFEM hosts a peer-reviewed journal and supports research networks that include investigators from University of Cape Town, University of Nairobi, University of Lagos, University of Ghana, Addis Ababa University and international collaborators such as London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and McMaster University. Research priorities have encompassed trauma epidemiology, emergency care systems metrics, and outcomes research with methodologies borrowed from Global Burden of Disease studies and surveillance modeled after WHO African Region initiatives. Publications and guidelines are disseminated via conferences, policy briefs submitted to African Union technical committees, and collaborative reports with agencies like World Bank and World Health Organization.

Partnerships and Funding

AFEM’s funding and partnerships span multilateral agencies and philanthropic foundations including World Health Organization, World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, United States Agency for International Development, European Commission, and corporate partners engaged in medical devices and communications such as GE Healthcare and Philips. Academic partnerships involve University of Cape Town, Makerere University, Aga Khan University, University of Toronto and specialty colleges like Royal College of Physicians and American College of Emergency Physicians. AFEM coordinates grant-funded projects with NGOs like Médecins Sans Frontières, International Rescue Committee, Save the Children, and collaborates with regional health bodies including African Union and West African Health Organization.

Impact and Challenges

AFEM has contributed to establishment of emergency medicine specialists in countries including South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Ethiopia and supported development of prehospital services in Rwanda and Ghana. Impact indicators include increased training capacity, publication output, and policy engagement with ministries such as Kenyan Ministry of Health and Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health. Challenges persist: workforce retention amid migration to countries like United Kingdom, United States, and Australia; financing constraints tied to donors like USAID and DFID; variable regulatory environments involving agencies such as the Health Professions Council of South Africa; and infrastructure disparities between urban centers like Cape Town and rural districts in Mali or Chad. Addressing these requires sustained collaborations with institutions including World Health Organization, African Union Commission, universities, and professional colleges.

Category:Medical and health organisations based in Africa