Global Surgery and Healthy Cities: Adopting a Global Surgery Perspective to Harmonize SDGs and Enhance Urban Health in Africa

Abstract

AbstractWhile the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) may present a holistic and universal framework that acknowledges the varied and interlinking dimensions of development, practical implementation strategies to achieve the goals are often sub-optimally aligned with contextual realities and particularities. Global Surgery is an emerging discipline, a mode of inquiry, an applied science, and a highly participatory global social movement which sits at the interface of health and sustainable development. As such, this chapter argues that Global Surgery represents a crucial perspective to illustrate the cross-cutting nature of the SDGs and foreground the importance of comprehensive urban health interventions for vulnerable and marginalized populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in the African context. We draw on key trends in surgical systems and empirical knowledge about healthy cities and urban slums in Africa to provide a practical framework to rethink and improve surgical healthcare, build healthier cities, and advance the SDGs in African cities.KeywordsGlobal SurgeryUrban healthSurgical healthcareAfrican citiesSustainable cities