Anatomy and lessons of partnerships in global pediatric surgery

Abstract

Partnerships in Global Surgery have evolved over several decades and continue to do so based on reports from different experiences and collaborations. These should be characterised by their objectives, leadership and “championship,” communication, ethics and equity. Partnerships take the form of academic collaborations or clinical support whose details vary with the different stakeholders involved. Over time, these have evolved based on challenges, successes, and failures. Recently, quality improvement activities have been increasingly initiated with locally derived information. This has come from local databases in low and middle income country (LMIC) settings whose maintenance and analysis have been done through academic collaborations. For many sites in LMICs, there would be very little advance in paediatric surgery without collaborations. Despite this, problems still arise from collaborations due to failure to learn from past problems, lack of local championship, poor communication, and externally driven objectives. For success and longevity, the collaboration must pay attention to unique the needs of the site, champions and equity.