It is through the research of this group that data on the need and unmet need for surgical services, the surgical disease burden, human resource and infrastructural issues can be obtained so that evidence-based advocacy can be developed.
– N. Mbembati
Our Group
In June 2007 leaders in surgery, anesthesia, obstetrics, health policy and health economics from Eritrea, Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Southern Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Netherlands, Sweden, WHO, and the USA convened at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Conference Center. The goal of the meeting was to examine the current status of surgical services in sub-Saharan Africa; agree on a set of action steps aimed at improving access to surgical services and training in the region; and engage national and international stakeholders to advocate for and implement this action plan.
At the end of the conference, the participants formally united as the Bellagio Essential Surgery Group and agreed to begin implementing the developed action plan. The BESG is committed to raising awareness of the need to increase access to surgical training, research, and direct services throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Meeting participants concluded that a significant burden of disease is attributable to surgical conditions in sub-Saharan Africa. Collaboratively, they developed a plan to begin addressing the surgical burden of disease in the region.
The plan includes collecting additional evidence about the incidence and prevalence of surgical conditions and the gap in service provision, advocacy and dissemination, and demonstration project development to improve access to surgical services, particularly at the district hospital level in the region.
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