Lessons Learned in Partnerships to Advance Global Surgery
Miss the event? Watch the recording.
Over the past nine years Dr. Phyllis Kisa MBCHB, MMed, from Makerere University and Dr. Doruk Ozgediz, MD, MSc and Director of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Center of Health Equity in Surgery and Anesthesia (CHESA) have gained invaluable perspectives and lessons learned through their partnerships and collaborative efforts in global surgery. For the inaugural IGHS-CHESA Grand Rounds on June 24, 2021, they provided their unique insights as pediatric surgeons, and in the context of their respective home countries of Uganda and the United States. Both physicians conveyed the importance of sustainability and investment in long-term partnerships with other clinicians and stakeholders in an effort to confront the surgical burden of disease.
The importance of surgical and perioperative care as a priority for population health intervention is not to be understated. Dr. Ozgediz highlights that, “30% of the global burden of disease is treatable surgically, and that burden is greater than HIV, tuberculosis and malaria combined.” He proceeds to explain how challenges in confronting this percentage are found in the lack of funding for surgical projects, and a variety of access barriers regarding social determinants of health (such as the built environment, education, health care systems, economic stability and social connection).
Dr. Kisa emphasizes the significance of sustainable collaboration and the need for succession planning so partnerships in global surgery can be successful long-term. She shares that in Uganda, “There are seven pediatric surgeons for a population of 44 million people, with over 50% of that population under the age of 14”. Dr. Kisa acknowledges that providing care and improving public health cannot be done separately because those initiatives overlap and require team effort. To efficiently combat constraints and create favorable conditions for enhancing the positive impact of global surgery and on patient care, both clinicians advocate for the power of equity regardless of geography, and for healthcare stakeholders to engage in opportunities that strengthen capacity and increase the visibility of successful efforts to inform the future success of global surgery.
CHESA would like to thank Dr. Kisa and Dr. Ozgediz, as well as the talented moderators, the Maurice Galante Distinguished Professor of Surgery, Emeritus, Dr. Haile Debas MD, and 4th year MD/MPH student, Chelsie Anderson for their participation in the inaugural IGHS-CHESA Grand Rounds. If you were unable to attend this dialogue on the role of surgery in achieving sustainable development goals, and lessons from Dr. Kisa and Dr. Ozgediz on partnerships for advancing health equity, you can watch the recording online.
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