Abstract
BackgroundThe role of surgery in global health has gained greater attention in recent years. Approximately 1.8 billion children below 15 years live in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Many surgical conditions affect children. Therefore, paediatric surgery requires specific emphasis. Left unattended, the consequences can be dire. Despite this, there is a paucity of data regarding prevalence of surgical conditions in children in LMIC. The present objective was to investigate the prevalence of paediatric surgical conditions in children in a defined geographical area in Eastern Uganda.MethodA cross-sectional study was carried out in the Iganga-Mayuge Health and Demographic Surveillance Site located in Eastern Uganda. Through a two-stage, cluster-based sampling process, 490 households from 49 villages were randomly selected, generating a study population of 1581 children. The children’s caregivers were interviewed, and the children were physically examined by two medical doctors to identify any surgical conditions.ResultsThe interview was performed with 1581 children, and 1054 were physically examined. Among these, the overall prevalence of any surgical condition was 16.0 per cent (n = 169). Of these, 39 per cent had an unmet surgical need (66 of 169). This is equivalent to a 6.3 per cent prevalence of current unmet surgical need. The most common groups of surgical condition were congenital anomalies and trauma-related conditions.ConclusionSurgical conditions in children are common in eastern Uganda. The unmet need for surgery is high. With a growing population, the need for paediatric surgical capacity will increase even further. The health care system must be reinforced to provide services for children with surgical conditions if United Nations Sustainability Development Goal 3 is to be achieved by 2030.
Highlights
In 2015, the UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) were defined and represent a continuation of the Millennium Development Goals
Surgical services are an essential part of universal health care coverage, but surgical care for children is an area of child health that is often overlooked
Uganda is a low-income country in sub-Saharan Africa with a population of 41.6 million of whom almost 50% were under 15 years old in 2019 [4, 5]
Summary
In 2015, the UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) were defined and represent a continuation of the Millennium Development Goals. Preventable deaths among newborns and in children below 5 years should end globally by 2030 [1]. To reach this ambitious goal, preventive measures along with universal health coverage are needed. 1.8 billion children below 15 years live in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). There is a paucity of data regarding prevalence of surgical conditions in children in LMIC. The present objective was to investigate the prevalence of paediatric surgical conditions in children in a defined geographical area in Eastern Uganda. The children’s caregivers were interviewed, and the children were physically examined by two medical doctors to identify any surgical conditions
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