How Sierra Leone Got Its First Neurosurgery Department

For the first time in history, Sierra Leone now has a neurosurgery department at Connaught Hospital in Freetown. The department, which was opened on May 29th, 2025, is saving lives and giving hope to people who suffer from brain and spine injuries, tumors, strokes, and other neurological conditions.

The journey to establish neurosurgery services started several years ago. In 2023, The University of Sierra Leone Teaching Hospitals Complex, through the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, partnered with international organizations like Stanford University, the World Federation of Neurological Societies, and Mission Brain. Together, they set out to build capacity, train doctors and nurses, and bring in the right equipment to treat patients locally instead of sending them abroad.

Dr. Mark Kapuwa, Hospital Care Manager at Connaught, said the decision was driven by alarming data showing a rise in brain-related health problems, especially head injuries from road accidents involving motorbikes and tricycles. In the past, patients with serious head or brain injuries had little chance of survival because the country lacked trained neurosurgeons.

“Before now, if you had a brain injury, the chances of survival were very low unless you could afford treatment abroad,” Dr. Kapuwa explained. “Now we have a neurosurgeon who can perform brain surgeries right here at Connaught.”

Dr. Mark Kapuwa, Connaught Hospital Healthcare Manager

Currently, the department is being run by one neurosurgeon, Dr. Alieu Kamara with two more Sierra Leoneans completing training abroad and expected to join soon. This will bring the total to three specialists. Alongside them, nurses have also received special training in neurosurgery to support operations.

The new department will also benefit from a state-of-the-art CT scan machine, which is being installed at Connaught for the first time. Previously, patients had to be moved across Freetown for scans, often worsening their condition.

From a Personal Story to a National Dream

The push for neurosurgery in Sierra Leone gained momentum in 2021 when Dr. Fatu Conteh , a Sierra Leonean neurosurgery resident in California, visited home. Just three days after her arrival, her grandmother suffered a stroke. Without timely care, her grandmother became paralyzed. Shocked and determined, Conteh vowed to change the situation, according to Mission Brain

She began contacting global health neurosurgeons and nonprofits. Progress was slow until she met Dr. Kee Park of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies, who connected her with Mission Brain, a U.S.-based nonprofit that supports neurosurgery in underserved countries. This partnership became the turning point.

Sierra Leone’s First Neurosurgeon

Dr. Alieu Kama, Sierra Leone’s first Neurosurgeon

At the heart of this historic development is Dr. Alieu Kamara, Sierra Leone’s first and only neurosurgeon. Dr. Kamara, now 43, grew up in a small village in eastern Sierra Leone during the country’s civil war. As a child, his family often had to hide in the bushes to escape rebel attacks. His dream to become a doctor began in secondary school after a soccer accident left his friend badly injured. With little means to pay for university, he worked two years in a factory making plastic goods.

A scholarship changed his life, sending him to China where he studied at the China Medical University in Shenyang for 12 years, earning both an MD and a Ph.D. in orthopedic surgery. He returned home in 2020 and worked at Connaught Hospital treating broken bones. But without a neurosurgery ward, patients with head and spine injuries could not get proper care. Kamara realized Sierra Leone desperately needed a neurosurgeon and he wanted to become one.

“We used to lose a lot of patients due to head injuries, spinal cord injuries, spine fractures and the like,” Kamara said. “There was nothing we could do for them.”

With support from Mission Brain and international partners, Kamara received advanced neurosurgery training, while donations and partnerships helped supply Connaught with surgical equipment, instruments, and training for nurses.

Today, Dr. Kamara is the only doctor in Connaught’s neurosurgery department. Despite limited resources, he operates on patients, trains medical students, and inspires a new generation of doctors. He is committed to making sure that brain surgery in Sierra Leone is not just a dream but a reality.

“Working alone means I bear all the management decision making within the unit and huge caseloads as I have to see all patients at the A&E, ICU, wards and operate cases with little or no assistance as those that assist me are inexperienced. This workload leads to burnout and sometimes inefficiency,” Kamra said.

Building a Future

So far, 24 nurses have been trained in neurotrauma care, and a high-end CT scan machine is being installed at Connaught to improve diagnosis. Plans are also underway to acquire more equipment for the neurosurgery ward and a fund to support patients who cannot afford treatment.

“This department is for every Sierra Leonean,” Dr. Kamara said. “It will save lives, train new doctors, and make sure our people don’t have to travel abroad for care.”

What began as one woman’s painful family experience has now grown into a national milestone. With Connaught Hospital at the center, Sierra Leone has taken its first bold steps into the field of neurosurgery with Dr. Alieu Kamara leading the way.