Surgical Need in LMICs: The Hidden Burden
With this rapid shift of global disease burden to injuries and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), it remains important and necessary to turn global health attention towards developing intervention programmes and implementation strategies in prevention, early detection and timely intervention. However, there is still an enormous gap in the treatment options because only limited attention is being focused on surgical, obstetrical and anesthesia care, particularly in the context of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite the obvious need, there is presently no coordinated research or funding strategy to support the development of surgical and trauma care in LMICs, as opposed to the strategies that exist for infectious burdens such as HIV, TB and/or malaria.