Tanzania Set To Host Regional Liver Disease Conference
June 27, 2023
By Mutayoba Arbogast
Dr John Rwegasha, Chairperson COLDA and Director of Medical Services at Muhimbili NH (in a black coat), with co- workers and members of COLDA organising committee
The Conference on Liver Disease in Africa (COLDA) 2023 will be held from September 7 to 9, 2023, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The conference aims to empower healthcare professionals to diagnose, prevent, treat, and achieve a cure for liver diseases for the benefit of African patients.
It will also provide a platform for exchanging experiences, best practices, and cutting-edge research discoveries to enhance liver health outcomes across Africa.
"We are certain that the conference will act as a catalyst for translating science into clinical practice while promoting medical education in the field of hepatology and setting up collaborations within the African region. Everyone will have an exceptional opportunity to share and acquire knowledge, and experience a wide spectrum of topics related to liver disease,” said Dr. John Rwegasha, Director of Medical Services at Tanzania’s Muhimbili National Hospital.
The conference will bring together Gastroenterologists, Herpetologists, Radiologists and Policy, Planning and Advocacy experts.
Epidemiology, the burden of liver illness in Africa, viral hepatitis, therapy, diagnosis, and prevention of liver cancer, early identification, treatment, palliative care, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, liver transplantation, and surgical intervention are among the focus areas.
According to Dr. Rwegasha, four people out of every hundred in Tanzania have a significant liver illness (Hepatitis B), which may double among drug users.
Statistics also show that liver cancer is the second most common cancer in the country, with more than 60 per cent.
A report from the First Tanzania Liver Cancer Conference held between March 17 and 18, 2023, stated that a study on cancer mortality in 39 hospitals across the country discovered that liver cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death, after cervix and oesophagal cancer.
"It is estimated that HCC (Hepatocellular carcinoma) is responsible for 75%–85% of all liver cancer cases globally, While in Tanzania the exact incidence is unknown, a report of 142 HCC cases from Bugando Hospital in Tanzania, published in 2014 demonstrated that most HCC cases presented at a late stage and no patients received curative therapy", reads part of the report.
The conference comes with resolutions to create awareness among local healthcare providers on the status of liver cancer in Tanzania and the available diagnostic and management options and to update Tanzanian healthcare providers on the current standard of care for liver cancer provided in developed countries and recent advancements in liver cancer care.
It will also promote an inclusive and multidisciplinary approach to research and the clinical care of patients with liver cancer in Tanzania.
