Gastroenterologist

You specialise in the digestive system – and gastrointestinal diseases are among the most common in Africa.

What this life looks like

Everything you eat, drink, and digest depends on a system of organs working in coordination. As a Gastroenterologist you specialise in the health of this system – the oesophagus, stomach, intestines, liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. You diagnose and treat conditions ranging from peptic ulcer disease and inflammatory bowel disease to liver cirrhosis, hepatitis, and colorectal cancer. In Africa gastrointestinal disease carries an enormous burden. Liver disease from viral hepatitis B and C, which are highly prevalent across the continent, is a leading cause of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Gastrointestinal infections from contaminated water and food are responsible for millions of episodes of diarrhoeal disease and child deaths annually. Colorectal cancer is rising as African diets urbanise. And Helicobacter pylori infection, which causes peptic ulcers and is associated with stomach cancer, is highly prevalent. All of this creates extraordinary demand for gastroenterology services against a backdrop of very limited specialist capacity.

What she actually does

A Gastroenterologist diagnoses and treats conditions of the digestive tract and liver, performs endoscopic procedures including gastroscopy and colonoscopy, manages chronic liver disease and liver failure, treats inflammatory bowel disease, provides surveillance for gastrointestinal cancers, manages acute conditions including gastrointestinal bleeding and pancreatitis, and advises on nutritional support for patients with digestive disorders.

Where you can work

Sector	Places in Africa
Gastroenterology and liver units in government and private hospitals	Lagos University Teaching Hospital Gastroenterology Unit (Nigeria), Groote Schuur Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology (South Africa), Kenyatta National Hospital Gastroenterology Clinic (Kenya), Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (Ghana)
Specialist hepatology and liver disease centres	Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital Liver Clinic (South Africa), The Viral Hepatitis Centre Lagos (Nigeria), Aga Khan Hospital Gastroenterology Unit (Kenya)
Hepatitis B and C treatment programmes across Africa	FIND Hepatitis programmes in Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana; Médecins Sans Frontières Hepatitis C treatment programmes (Uganda, Cameroon); WHO viral hepatitis elimination programmes across Africa
Academic gastroenterology departments	University of Cape Town Division of Gastroenterology, University of Lagos College of Medicine, University of Nairobi Dept of Clinical Medicine and Therapeutics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana)
Pharmaceutical companies working on hepatitis and digestive disease treatments	Gilead Sciences Africa (hepatitis antivirals), AbbVie Africa, Roche Diagnostics Africa, Mylan/Viatris generic hepatitis treatment programmes
Endoscopy centres in private practice.	Endoscopy Centre of Excellence Lagos (Nigeria), Southern Cross Endoscopy (South Africa), Aga Khan Hospital Endoscopy Suite (Kenya), Trust Hospital Endoscopy Unit (Ghana)

Why it matters in Africa

Hepatitis B infects approximately 60 million people across sub-Saharan Africa and is a leading cause of liver cancer. Despite effective vaccination and antiviral treatment, most people with hepatitis B in Africa are undiagnosed. Diarrhoeal disease from gastrointestinal infections remains a leading cause of child mortality. Liver cancer driven by hepatitis B and aflatoxin exposure from contaminated grain is among the most common cancers in African men.

Your pathway in

Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics at secondary school. Then MBBS or MBChB over five to six years, followed by housemanship. Internal medicine residency then subspecialty fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology through the West African College of Physicians or equivalent body follows. The full pathway takes approximately 12 to 14 years.

Skills you will need

Technical: Endoscopy skills including gastroscopy and colonoscopy, liver biopsy, management of liver failure and ascites, gastrointestinal bleeding management, and interpretation of liver function tests and imaging. Human: The ability to perform endoscopic procedures requiring both technical precision and patient reassurance, long-term management of patients with chronic liver disease, and cultural sensitivity around bowel symptoms which many patients find embarrassing to discuss. Digital tools: Endoscopy recording and reporting systems, hepatic imaging including ultrasound and fibroscan for liver assessment, and telemedicine for rural gastroenterology consultation.

A woman in this field

Dr. Ganiyat Kikelomo Oyeleke

Nigeria

Nigerian consultant physician, gastroenterologist and hepatologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, and a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology. She is the coordinator of the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) Lagos Training Center, a co-director of the Lagos Viral Hepatitis ECHO programme, and a mentor for the African Association of Future Gastroenterologists. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at local and international meetings on liver and gastrointestinal disorders, and serves as an examiner for the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. She is an active voice in Nigerian and African public health discussions on liver disease, colorectal cancer, and gastrointestinal infections.

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Take your first step

Biology and Chemistry are most important at school – gastroenterology and hepatology are deeply biochemical specialties. Look up the African Gastroenterology Society and the Hepatitis B Foundation to understand the scale of liver disease across Africa. If you can access a hospital with an endoscopy unit, ask whether you can observe a procedure – endoscopy is fascinating and will give you a concrete sense of what gastroenterologists do technically.