About Us

Who We Are

Paediatric Surgical Foundation

Paediatric Surgical Foundation Limited (PSFL) is a non-governmental organization started in Uganda in 2018 by a team of dedicated paediatric surgeons. Our main goal is to promote and support safe and fair surgical services for children in Uganda. We believe that every child deserves access to proper medical and surgical care, no matter where they live.

Uganda has a very young population, with more than half of the people under the age of 15. Sadly, many children with surgical problems do not get the treatment they need in time, which can lead to serious health issues or even death. That’s why we formed PSFL — to help change this situation.

The foundation was registered on 8th May 2018 by three Ugandan paediatric surgeons: Dr. Nasser Kakembo, Dr. John Sekabira, and Dr. Phyllis Kisa, with legal guidance from Mrs. Eva Nalwanga.

We work through outreach surgical camps, training programs, and public sensitization to bring surgical services closer to the communities that need them most. We also support training for future paediatric surgeons and publish research to help improve children’s surgical care in Uganda.

Our Mission

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Our Vision

To see a Uganda where every child has access to safe, timely, and high-quality surgical care — no matter where they live.

Our History

Paediatric Surgical Foundation Limited

Paediatric Surgical Foundation Limited (PSFL) was started in 2018 by three Ugandan pediatric surgeons — Dr. Nasser Kakembo, Dr. John Sekabira, and Dr. Phyllis Kisa — with legal help from Ms. Eva Nalwanga, a lawyer. These doctors had been working in children’s hospitals and saw that many children in Uganda were suffering or dying from treatable surgical conditions simply because they could not access proper care.

At that time, Uganda had very few pediatric surgeons — in fact, until 2008, the whole country had only one board-certified pediatric surgeon. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 1 pediatric surgeon for every 100,000 people, but Uganda needed more than 400 to meet this target, based on the population.

The three founders saw this gap and agreed that something had to be done. They created PSFL as a non-governmental, non-profit organization to focus on improving children’s surgical care in Uganda. Their goal was to not only treat children but also train more pediatric surgeons, support medical education, raise awareness, and advocate for better health policies for surgical care in children.

In the same year, PSFL partnered with the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) to start a formal pediatric surgery training program (fellowship). Since 2014 (even before officially registering the foundation), the team had already been training young doctors to become pediatric surgeons. So far, PSFL has helped train and graduate six certified pediatric surgeons, and four more are currently in training.

Over the years, PSFL also started doing surgical outreach camps in different regions of Uganda, especially in upcountry hospitals like Masaka, Soroti, and Mbarara. These camps help children who can’t travel to Kampala receive specialized surgeries closer to home. The camps also allow local doctors and nurses to learn from pediatric specialists through hands-on experience.

In addition, PSFL began organizing workshops and seminars for health workers in rural and regional hospitals. These sessions focus on recognizing surgical conditions in children, handling emergencies, and referring cases quickly. PSFL also promotes community sensitization to reduce stigma and fear around surgery.

Even though funding and equipment are still a challenge, PSFL has stayed committed to its mission of providing safe, timely, and equitable surgical services for children across Uganda. The foundation continues to train, treat, and teach — aiming for a future where every child in Uganda, no matter where they live, has access to the surgical care they need to live a healthy, productive life.