Building a rheumatology team for east Africa: a call for action!

Abstract

The East Africa region comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda has an estimated population of 160 million [1], yet only has six rheumatologists. The challenge to meet the needs of so many people is therefore immense. Until recently, however, there was little perceived need for investment in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), and the specialty of rheumatology was regarded as pointless, or esoteric at best [2]. Two important reasons underpinned this situation. First, RMDs were thought to be so uncommon in this region to be effectively irrelevant. Second, the burden of infectious diseases, typified by malaria and HIV, was so high that there was little space for anything else on the agenda of governments or other agencies. Why worry about diseases of the elderly, when life was short and RMDs in young people merited case reports for novelty value?................................................................................................