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In 1964, the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA) asked national societies to help to make modern anesthesia available to millions of people living in under-resourced regions of the world. The Canadian Anaesthetists' Society (CAS) established the CAS Anaesthesia Training and Relief Fund, which supported Canadian anesthetists' participation in the establishment of teaching centers in developing countries. By the 1980s, the activities of the Fund were severely reduced, and between 1988 and 1993, over 60 Canadian anesthesiologists participated in programs sponsored by private non-profit humanitarian organizations (as members of hospital or university-led exchange programs). However, there was no opportunity for Canadian anesthesiologists to participate in a program sponsored by and identified with their own national Society. At the June 1993 CAS Annual Meeting, the Board of Trustees of the CAS Anaesthesia Training and Relief Fund agreed that the national society of a highly resourced country such as Canada had an ethical responsibility to assist in the improvement of anesthesia in developing countries. The Fund’s name was changed to the CAS International Education Fund (later Foundation-CASIEF) to identify its intended activity more clearly.

About CASIEF

Five billion people lack access to safe surgical care. Surgical disease kills more people annually than HIV, TB, and malaria combined. Unfortunately, surgical capacity is least available where it is needed most. Surgical care in low-resource settings is cost-effective and an indispensable, indivisible part of basic healthcare. Our philosophy is to work with anesthesia providers in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) to develop self-sustaining programs appropriate to their own needs. Consultations and collaborations with ministries of health, anesthesia providers, anesthesia societies, and local training institutions are key to building successful partnerships.

With partners – including the University of Rwanda, the Ethiopian Anaesthesia Development Project (EADP), the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the Canadian Network for International Surgery, Dalhousie University, Queen's University, McMaster University, University of Toronto, Western University, and Global Affairs Canada – we collaborate in low resource settings to build capacity for safe, sustainable anesthesia and perioperative care.

CASIEF currently focuses on collaborative international partnerships in:

• Rwanda
• Guyana
• Ethiopia
• Burkina Faso

For more information on CASIEF and their collaborative international partnerships, please visit: https://casief.ca/

Board of Trustees

The CASIEF Board of Trustees actively leads the Foundation’s activities and champions its partnerships globally.

Visit the About section of the CASIEF website for an updated list of Board of Trustees.