Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The milestone publication of the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery in 2015 carved a niche for the field of academic global surgery, creating space for partnerships between surgeons from high-income countries (HICs) and low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). 1 2 However, academic authors from HICs dominate the story of global surgery, frequently blocking out experienced voices from the front line.3 LMIC rural surgeons - at the forefront of providing access to surgery for the world’s poorest- work mostly in silence, and their contributions to global health remain largely undocumented. Rural surgery represents a space of true human connection, where clinicians battle face-to-face with the challenge of resource-limited care and celebrate health and joy alongside patients, colleagues and members of the community. However, with low trainee exposure to the field, significant perceived challenges to practising in low-resource environments and high attrition rates, difficulties persist in maintaining a consistent, committed rural surgery workforce.3 4 How can we ensure high-quality surgical care in rural communities? What lessons can we learn from current rural surgeons, about their motivations and the path to ensuring a reliable workforce in rural areas? In this essay, we explore the motivations that drive surgeons to practise in rural settings and the barriers they face in this journey.
Source: BMJ Global Health
Language: English
Topic: Global Health and Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,679
OpenAlex ID: W4396568810