Abstract:
Historically considered an expensive, inefficient
and limited public healthcare initiative, the place of
surgery as the ‘forgotten stepchild’ of public health
now leaves almost 5 billion individuals worldwide
unable to access safe, affordable surgery when
needed. In his keynote address at the National Forum on Surgery
and Anaesthesia, held at the University of the Witwatersrand in
December 2015, Deputy Minister of Health Dr Mathume Phaala
stated that the ideal of a long and healthy life for all South Africans
cannot be achieved without improved access to safe surgery
and anaesthesia, a goal necessitating improvements in existing
infrastructure, information systems, financial management and
leadership. This marked the introduction of a groundbreaking
event – the launch of a sustained Global Surgery movement
in South Africa (SA) aimed at stimulating discussion on and
conceptualising the future of surgery in SA. Discussion focused
on needs assessment, a review of the essential package of surgical
and anaesthetic care offered at regional, district and tertiary levels,
monitoring of policy implementation, and a movement from the
ideals of the Millennium Development Goals to sustainable goals.
