Why surgical care?
Closing a neglected gap in global health to save lives.
The surgical care gap
9 in 10 without access
For 9 in 10 people in low- and lower-middle-income countries, access to safe, timely and affordable surgical care is a distant hope, not a reality.
As a result, over 17 million die from surgically treatable or preventable conditions each year, more than the combined deaths caused by HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and injury.
The effects are widespread. Families lose their ability to earn a living, sinking deeper into poverty. Communities are held back, unable to flourish. Fragile health systems struggle to provide care people desperately need.
The cost of inaction: why surgical care matters
Surgical care is life-saving and life-changing, yet it remains underfunded.
While 30% of global health conditions require surgery, less than 1% of global health funding goes to surgical care. This huge gap is one we can and must close.
17M
people die every year
from conditions that could easily be treated with surgery
143M
more surgeries are needed
every year in low- and middle-income countries to save lives and prevent life-long disability
$12T
lost potential economic growth
in low- and middle-income countries from unmet surgical care by 2030
Surgical capacity is an essential part of universal health coverage.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
WHO Director-General
Surgical care explained
Surgical care is an essential part of healthcare, offering vital treatments for people who need surgery, before, during and after an operation.
It includes assessing patients, ensuring safe anaesthesia, performing surgery, and supporting recovery.
A team of surgeons, anaesthesiologists, and nurses work together to treat conditions, such as injuries, infections, pregnancy complications, cancers, and more.
Surgical care not only saves lives and restores health, but also strengthens families and communities.
Two crises: cancer and maternal health
There is no cancer care and maternal health care without surgical care.
In low- and middle-income countries, surgical care is often the difference between life and death.
65–80%
of newly diagnosed cancers
will need surgical care (anaesthesia, surgery and recovery) by 2030
100x
more likely to die from caesarean sections
women in low- and middle-income countries compared to women in high-income countries
4x
more likely to die from breast cancer
women in low- and middle-income countries compared to women in high-income countries
How we close the surgical care gap
Closing the surgical care gap is possible. We bring together funding, accompaniment, and partner-led delivery through SURGfund, working with local partners in the countries furthest behind.
We support projects that build surgical care capacity, save lives and strengthen health systems in four key areas.
Frequently asked questions
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Global surgery is the field that works to make safe, timely and affordable surgical, obstetric and anaesthesia care available to everyone, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
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About 5 billion people cannot get safe, affordable surgical care when they need it. In low-income and lower-middle-income countries, nine out of ten people cannot access basic surgical care.
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About 30% of global health conditions need surgical care, yet less than 1% of global health funding goes to it. More than 17 million people die each year from conditions that surgery could treat.
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Surgical care covers the whole patient journey: assessment, safe anaesthesia, the operation itself and recovery. It is delivered by teams of surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and other health workers.
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We mobilise funding through SURGfund and accompany local implementing partners with technical guidance, clinical expertise, learning and evidence. Partners lead the work in maternal health, children’s surgery, trauma surgery and cancer surgery.
Explore
Find out more about GSF
ABOUT
Team and governance
Meet our team, Foundation Board, High-Level Council and Technical Advisory Council.
OUR WORK
Programmes
Programmes in maternal health, children’s surgery, trauma and cancer care, led by local partners.
OUR WORK
SURGfund
Our collaborative funding platform, pooling and channelling funding to locally led surgical care.
OUR WORK
SURGhub
The UN Global Surgery Learning Hub: online courses for surgical care teams, with more than 67,000 registered learners.
RESOURCES
News and events
Stories, updates and event recordings from our work and our partners.
RESOURCES
Publications
Research, reports and articles, including our annual reports.
Partner with us
Together, we can:
Save lives and prevent disability
Strengthen health systems
Empower local leaders
Train healthcare workers
Raise awareness of the surgical care gap
For funders and investors
Partner with us to bring surgical care to the most vulnerable and amplify your impact. Together, we can close this neglected gap in global health.
For individuals
Donate now to save lives and prevent disability. Your generosity can help us bring surgical care to those who need it most, no matter where they live.