RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Benin republic is a very low-income French-speaking country in West Africa The development of Neurosurgery in the Republic of Benin took off with the arrival of the first Beninese neurosurgeons in the year 2003. AIMS: This study aims to evaluate patients' attendance in a public neurosurgical center, and appreciate populations' affordability to a new specialty. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: In the year 2004, the Benin Armed Forces established the first Department of Neurosurgery in the Nation's Military Teaching Hospital. From the public authorities, that was a proof of motivation to develop this specialty in the Benin Republic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional survey (September 2003 to December 2009) of the total neurosurgical patient population managed in a public pioneer hospital in a developing country. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data were captured and analyzed with the SPSS software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) and presented in descriptive statistics such as frequencies and proportions. RESULTS: 2908 new patients, civilians, and militaries were registered. The surgical treatment was offered adult (86%) as well as pediatric (14%) patients. Spinal degenerative diseases (52.1%) were the most common pathology; neurotraumatology emergency cases (8.4%) appeared low in representation. Three-quarters of patients experienced financial difficulties to procure the required radiologic investigations and although 609 (20.94%) benefited from surgery, most patients could not pay for the surgical operations as well as the perioperative care. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of the great constraints of this country's privately-funded health-care delivery system on the affordability of neurosurgical treatment for the average Beninese, this study demonstrates a globally increasing attendance of the department.