Sheba-Togo Partnership Delivers Surgical Care in Kpalimé

Under the patronage of President Faure Gnassingbé, this collaboration between Sheba, Togo’s Plateaux Region Governorate, and the Central Directorate of the Armed Forces Health Service (DCSSA) targeted conditions that impair the daily work and livelihoods of local civilians. 

Mission Scope and Local Impact

The mission responded to acute needs among Togo’s agricultural population, where due to intensive work under field conditions, they suffer from hernia-related pain and functional limitations, which directly threaten their income between harvest seasons. Patients face prolonged suffering without intervention, compromising their ability to farm and support their families, making this surgical window critical. 

As a result, Sheba’s team, including surgeons Imri Amiel and Assaf Dori, anesthesiologist Aner Daum, and nurse Atef Hijazi, offered them free consultations and surgical interventions which targeted prevalent yet disabling conditions such as abdominal wall hernias, lipomas, and synovial cysts. Together, Togolese-Israeli teams provided postoperative monitoring, ensuring continuity of care and knowledge transfer.

This mobile medical mission aligned with Togo’s national priority of equitable healthcare access, particularly for vulnerable rural populations lacking proximity to advanced surgical platforms. Beyond immediate relief, the mission strengthened local surgical workflows through hands-on collaboration.

Sheba’s Expertise Meets Togo’s Health Priorities

Sheba Medical Center, ranked among the World’s Top 10 Hospitals by Newsweek, contributed its globally recognized surgical excellence, training culture, and mission experience to this partnership. The center’s advanced capabilities in general and specialized surgery were paired with a proven approach to international cooperation, including skills transfer and sustainable system strengthening. This Togo mission exemplifies Sheba’s method: rapid deployment of elite teams coupled with local capacity building to address identified gaps.

The initiative originated from a scouting mission led by Dr. Shachar Shapira six months ago. During that visit, local teams clearly articulated their urgent need for hernia-focused surgical support-a call that Sheba’s Humanitarian and Disaster Response Center answered with this mission. Sheba responded with precise execution, aligning team composition, procedure volume, and duration to maximize impact under resource constraints. Collaboration extended beyond clinical care to include the Togo Medical Corps and state leadership, creating a unified framework for service delivery and follow-up.

This partnership advances Togo’s goal of bringing specialized services closer to citizens while reinforcing Sheba’s role as a reliable partner for health systems facing geographic and workforce challenges.

Building Sustainable Surgical Capacity in Togo

Sheba’s Togo mission sets a new standard for fast, replicable international surgical partnerships. It shows how elite teams can rapidly deploy to resource-limited settings, perform high-volume procedures under field conditions, and establish lasting systems through real-time collaboration.

Beyond 100 hernia repairs, Togolese and Israeli teams co-developed workflows, shared intraoperative decisions, and created postoperative monitoring protocols that local staff can sustain. This model multiplies impact, boosts clinical confidence, and strengthens health capacity long after the mission ends.

Lastly, by restoring farmers to full productivity, the mission links health recovery to economic resilience, turning surgical care into a catalyst for community growth. 

This is medicine with purpose: where clinical excellence and humanitarian compassion drive collective prosperity.