Realigning Global Health Realities Towards Children's Surgery: Progress and Possibilities

Abstract

Despite the high population of children, increasing surgical disease burden and shortage of pediatric surgeons, as well as limited infrastructure, children's surgical care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has been neglected for decades. This has contributed to unacceptably high morbidity and mortality, long term disabilities and economic loss to families. The work of the global initiative for children's surgery (GICS) has raised the profile and visibility of children's surgery in the global health space. This has been achieved a philosophy of inclusiveness, LMIC participation, focus on LMIC needs and high income country (HIC) support, and driven by implementation to change on the ground situations. Children's operating rooms are being installed to strengthen infrastructure and children's surgery is being gradually included in national surgical plans to provide the policy framework to support children's surgical care. In Nigeria, pediatric surgery workforce has increased from 35 in 2003 to 127 in 2002, but the density remains low at 0.14 per 100,000 population <15 years. Education and training have been strengthened with the publication of a pediatric surgery textbook for Africa and creation of a Pan Africa pediatric surgery e-learning platform. However, financing children's surgery in LMICs remains a barrier as many families are at risk of catastrophic healthcare expenditure. The success of these efforts provides encouraging examples of what can be collectively achieve by appropriate and mutually beneficial global north-south collaborations. Pediatric surgeons need to commit their time, knowledge and skills, as well as experience and voices to strengthen children's surgery globally to impact more lives, for the overall good of more.