Abstract
While there has been overall progress in addressing the lack of access to surgical care worldwide, untreated surgical conditions in developing countries remain an underprioritized issue. Significant backlogs of advanced surgical disease called neglected surgical diseases (NSDs) result from massive disparities in access to quality surgical care. We aim to discuss a framework for a public health rights-based initiative designed to prevent and eliminate the backlog of NSDs in developing countries. We defined NSDs and set forth six criteria that focused on the applicability and practicality of implementing a program designed to eradicate the backlog of six target NSDs from the list of 44 Disease Control Priorities 3rd edition (DCP3) surgical interventions. The human rights-based approach (HRBA) was used to clarify NSDs role within global health. Literature reviews were conducted to ascertain the global disease burden, estimated global backlog, average cost per treatment, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) averted from the treatment, return on investment, and potential gain and economic impact of the NSDs identified. Six index NSDs were identified, including neglected cleft lips and palate, clubfoot, cataracts, hernias and hydroceles, injuries, and obstetric fistula. Global definitions were proposed as a starting point towards the prevention and elimination of the backlog of NSDs. Defining a subset of neglected surgical conditions that illustrates society's role and responsibility in addressing them provides a framework through the HRBA lens for its eventual eradication.
Highlights
Despite steady gains in raising the profile of surgery in public health, untreated surgical conditions continue to plague certain societies, causing 25% of avoidable mortality[1] and up to 40% of avoidable morbidity[2,3] in low- and middleincome countries (LMICs). Unaddressed, these conditions progress to profound disability, deformity, or early death due to a lack of timely access to essential surgical care
Estimated number of deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) averted per year that could be prevented if basic surgical care provided in LMIC: Deaths: 1 042 292 DALYs: 52 316 94627
Estimated number of deaths and DALYs averted per year that could be prevented if basic surgical care provided in LMIC: Deaths: 14 065 DALYs: 325 30827 11 DALYs per 100 000 population[42]
Summary
Despite steady gains in raising the profile of surgery in public health, untreated surgical conditions continue to plague certain societies, causing 25% of avoidable mortality[1] and up to 40% of avoidable morbidity[2,3] in low- and middleincome countries (LMICs) Unaddressed, these conditions progress to profound disability, deformity, or early death due to a lack of timely access to essential surgical care. Previous articles have called for greater attention to these conditions,[5,6,7,8] yet no current global strategy exists to systematically end the neglect In this perspective, we will expound and discuss the concept of ‘neglected surgical diseases,’ or NSDs. We define NSDs as “any treatable surgical condition that has progressed beyond functional repair due to a lack of access to timely surgical care.”. This will entail ensuring the availability of timely access to surgical care which can be measured from a population perspective by: (a) surgical repair commensurate with the endemic incidence rate, and (b) for congenital deformities, less than 5% of newly identified cases at or below the recommended age of repair
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International journal of health policy and management
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
