Year: 2017
Type: editorial
Abstract: At the sunset of the Millennium Development Goals there was a global awakening that hundreds of millions of people living in resource-poor countries lacked safe and equitable access to even basic surgeries.In response, a Lancet Commission on Global Surgery was launched in April 2015 under the premise that surgery is an integral component of a properly functioning healthcare system [1].The commission aims to integrate surgery into the global agenda and identify strategies to provide quality care worldwide in an effort to enhance "universal access to safe, affordable surgical and anesthesia care" [1,2].The launch coincided with the publishing of their landmark report, which highlighted that an astonishing 5 billion people lack accessible surgical care and that investing in scaling up surgical services until 2030 is necessary and cost effective [2].Although it is not specifically addressed in the commission's report, 2 of the largest global surgery programs are already underway in conjunction with mass drug administration (MDA) for the elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).MDA has served as a cornerstone for programs worldwide aiming to control or eliminate at least 7 of the most common NTDs.Together, these NTDs affect at least 2 billion people who live in extreme poverty, leading to significant physical and mental disability [3].Furthermore, their impact on health has farreaching consequences beyond simply the health sector-they also cause profound socioeconomic challenges in the form of lost productivity and income, as well as social inequality [3].Between 2011 and 2013, out of 1.9 billion people who required annual MDA, over 700 million (37%) received treatment [4].Through a 2012 London Declaration on NTDs, the major multinational pharmaceutical companies have renewed their commitment to donate the essential medicines required for MDA [5].According to their fourth progress report, an impressive 1.1 billion treatments were administered to 858 million individuals [5].Additionally, the global coverage rate exceeded 50% for the first time, as pharmaceutical companies donated drugs to treat 1.5 billion people for NTDs [5].While the progress of MDA over the past decade has been remarkable in addressing the overall burden of NTDs, it has been limited in its ability to address long-standing comorbidities attributed to the chronic and more severe manifestations of certain NTDs.We bring to attention 2 examples in which surgical care best complements MDA-lymphatic filariasis (LF) and trachoma-and discuss mechanisms to interface these needs with the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery.
Source: PLoS neglected tropical diseases
Authors: Vivek Karun, Peter J. Hotez, Todd K. Rosengart
Language: English
Topic: Global Health and Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,670
OpenAlex ID: W2758896991