Welcome to the Global Surgery Division
Globally there is a crisis in the field of surgery, particularly in the developing world. Five billion people lack access to safe, affordable surgical and anaesthesia care when needed; 143 million additional surgical procedures are needed each year to save lives and prevent disability; and 33 million individuals face catastrophic health expenditure due to payment for surgery and anaesthesia each year.
In South Africa there are currently not enough trained surgical staff to meet the needs of the population. Failing government healthcare systems and infrastructure further compromises access to quality treatment and post-operative care. Surgical solutions that work in one context can fail in another, requiring tailored innovations for specific African challenges. However, while the continent is rich with clinical experience, there is insufficient research capacity to collate, critically reflect upon, and share valuable knowledge with each other, and with the rest of the world.
Global surgery is an area of study, research, practice, and advocacy that seeks to improve health outcomes and achieve health equity for all people who need surgical, obstetric and anaesthesia care. It has a special emphasis on underserved populations and populations in crisis, improving equity in the healthcare system.
In 2019 Prof Salome Maswime joined the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Health Sciences to head up a new Global Surgery Division which aims to become a centre of excellence in Global Surgery through education, research and implementation.