Creating a Sustainable Foundation for Interventional Radiology Services and Training in Sub-Saharan Africa: Five-Year Update on the Road2IR Initiative

Purpose To evaluate the growth and quality of an IR training model designed for resource-constrained settings and implemented in Tanzania, as well as its overall potential to increase access to minimally invasive procedures across the region. Materials and Methods IR training in Tanzania began in 10/2018 through monthly deployment of visiting teaching teams for hands-on training combined with in-person and remote lectures. A competency-based two-year Master of Science (MSc) in IR curriculum was inaugurated at the nation’s main teaching hospital in 10/2019, graduating its first two classes in 2021 and 2022. Procedural data, demographics, and clinical outcomes were collected and analyzed throughout the duration of this program. Results From 10/2018 to 7/2022, 1,595 procedures were performed in Tanzania: 1,236 non-vascular and 359 vascular, all with local fellows as primary operators. 97.2% were technically successful, 95.2% were without complication, and 28.9% were performed independently by Tanzanian fellows and faculty with no difference in complication and technical success rates (p=0.63 and 0.90, respectively), irrespective of procedural class. Ten IR physicians graduated from this program during the study period, followed by another three per year going forward. Partner training programs in Uganda and Rwanda mirroring this model commenced in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Conclusion The reported training model offers a practical and effective solution to meet many of the challenges associated with the lack of access to IR in sub-Saharan Africa.