Connaught Hospital Surgeons Perform Sierra Leone’s First Brain Tumour Surgery

Connaught Hospital has successfully performed the country’s first brain tumour surgery, a milestone in a years-long effort to bring specialised neurosurgical care to a nation that had no neurosurgeon until early 2025.

Neurotrauma Surgeon Dr Allieu Kamara performed the procedure with Dr Ibrahim Jalloh, a UK-based Sierra Leonean neurosurgeon who has contributed to developing the country’s neurosurgery programme. The Ministry of Health confirmed the patient is recovering well.

The operation is the latest achievement in a programme that has transformed care at Sierra Leone’s main referral hospital. Before Kamara began practice in January 2025, patients with brain injuries, spinal conditions or tumours had little chance of survival unless they could afford treatment abroad.

“Before Dr Kamara, there was no hope,” said Dr Kehinde Oluwadiya, acting chief medical director of the University of Sierra Leone Teaching Hospitals Complex.

The neurosurgery programme emerged from a partnership between the government, the University of Sierra Leone Teaching Hospitals Complex, Stanford University, the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies and Mission: BRAIN, a California-based nonprofit.

Dr Fatu Conteh, a Sierra Leonean neurosurgery resident in California, initiated the effort after her grandmother suffered a stroke during a 2021 visit to Freetown and became paralysed due to lack of timely care.

Connaught’s surgical ward has two operating rooms shared by all surgical specialities, three rotating anaesthesiologists and Kamara as the only doctor in the neurosurgery department. A dedicated neurosurgery ward and a new CT scanner at the hospital are being installed to improve care.

Twenty-four nurses have received diplomas in neurosurgery care through a hybrid training programme supported by Mission: BRAIN and the Ministry of Health. Two additional Sierra Leonean doctors are pursuing advanced neurosurgery training abroad and are expected to join the department soon.

The government is establishing a “Sababu” fund—Creole for “kindness”—to support patients who cannot afford treatment, as hospitals in Sierra Leone require advance payment before procedures.

“The ultimate goal for neurosurgery in Sierra Leone is for us to be self-sufficient,” Kamara said.