Dr. Jean-Baptiste Makoumbou

Dr. Jean-Baptiste Makoumbou is a senior consultant general and laparoscopic surgeon at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Brazzaville (CHUB) — the Republic of Congo's principal national university hospital and the highest-level tertiary care institution in Brazzaville, the country's capital. With 16 years of surgical experience, he is among the Republic of Congo's most experienced abdominal surgeons.

The CHUB serves as the national referral centre for complex surgical emergencies and elective procedures across the Republic of Congo, a country of approximately 6 million people. The surgical workforce is small relative to population need, making each experienced surgeon's capacity for both clinical work and training critical to the healthcare system. Dr. Makoumbou is a clinical educator at the Université Marien Ngouabi Faculty of Medicine, training the next generation of Congolese surgeons.

He trained in general surgery at CHUB and completed advanced laparoscopic surgery training at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Dakar in Senegal — one of West and Central Africa's most experienced academic surgical centres for laparoscopic technique training. He introduced laparoscopic cholecystectomy as a routine procedure at CHUB, significantly improving patient outcomes for gallstone disease.

Dr. Makoumbou completed his medical degree at the Université Marien Ngouabi in Brazzaville and undertook his general surgery residency at CHUB, obtaining the Diplôme d'Études Spécialisées (DES) en Chirurgie Générale. He completed advanced laparoscopic surgery training at the CHU de Dakar, Senegal, and holds a Diploma in Laparoscopic Surgery. He is a member of the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) and a founding member of the Société Congolaise de Chirurgie.

Dr. Makoumbou performs the full range of general surgical procedures with expertise in abdominal and laparoscopic surgery. For emergency surgery, he manages acute abdomen (appendicitis, bowel obstruction, perforated ulcer), abdominal trauma with laparotomy, and acute biliary disease. He performs 24-hour acute surgical cover at CHUB's busy emergency department. For elective surgery, he performs laparoscopic cholecystectomy, laparoscopic appendicectomy, hernia repair (inguinal, umbilical, incisional, hiatal), and bowel resection for colorectal disease and volvulus — a condition with higher incidence in Central Africa due to dietary factors. He performs oncological surgery for resectable colorectal, gastric, and hepatic tumours and manages complex biliary pathology including choledocholithiasis and biliary strictures.

Dr. Makoumbou consults in French, Lingala, and English. CHUB serves patients from across the Republic of Congo and occasionally from neighbouring countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa is directly across the Congo River from Brazzaville), Cameroon, and Gabon. For overseas Congolese and patients from the francophone diaspora in France and Belgium, video consultations for surgical second opinions are available. The hospital has experience coordinating cross-border care with Kinshasa's hospitals.

Dr. Makoumbou received the Société Congolaise de Chirurgie Award for contributions to laparoscopic surgery development in the Republic of Congo, recognising his pioneering role in introducing minimally invasive surgery as a routine technique at CHUB. He has trained numerous surgeons in laparoscopic techniques through workshops supported by international surgical NGOs working in Central Africa. He has presented at COSECSA annual meetings and collaborated with French surgical societies on surgical training initiatives in Francophone Central Africa. As a founding member of the Société Congolaise de Chirurgie and a member of COSECSA, he is a key figure in the development of sub-Saharan African surgical capacity.