PD 19 - Essential Surgical and Trauma Care - World Health Summit 2020

Although increasingly recognized as an indivisible, indispensable part of Universal Health Coverage, limited progress has been made in recent years to advance surgical care around the world. Surgical conditions make up over five times the mortality of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined, yet funding for surgical care remains inequitably small in terms of international funding. This despite the fact that today, over five billion people remain without access to safe surgical care.

The result: over 17 million preventable deaths annually and 30% of the global burden of disease is attributable to surgical conditions. Furthermore, trauma and injury accounts for 5.8 million deaths and around 50 million permanently disabled persons per year. 90% of this mortality and morbidity occurs in LMICs. To address this, we need integrated and holistic approaches to build up health systems that includes increased emphasis on surgical delivery, an emphasis that is currently lacking.

We must recognize that the old-fashioned myth that access to emergency and essential surgical care is a luxury item has been debunked. On the contrary, emergency and essential surgical interventions are cost-effective and absolutely essential for Universal Health Coverage.