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Global Surgery Financing, Challenges and Possibilities

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Global Cardiac Surgery Capacity Development in Low and Middle Income Countries

Part of the book series: Sustainable Development Goals Series ((SDGS))

Abstract

Global surgery is increasingly gaining recognition as an important and essential component of the service mix needed to attain Universal Health Coverage. Lack of access to surgical care is not just tragic, it is also too costly for any society, currently and when costs are projected into the future. Research has demonstrated that cost effectiveness of surgical care is comparable to that one of well-known (and well-funded) public health interventions, raising the public pressure for access expansion to affordable surgical care. However, how to finance it remains a significant challenge. The prevailing paradigm that governments could not offer everything to everyone builds its foundation on the wrong mindset; a mindset that invites delaying the expansion of surgical care. It is true that resources can appear finite at a given time, but this equation does not include the potential for innovation, cooperation and decision that can stem from a serious challenge. The world is today, richer, healthier, with greater human capital, and for that, more capable technologically to finally bring surgery to those in need. The response to this call is already coming from multiple corners: groups of likeminded surgeons and health professionals, governments (from high-income countries as well as LMICs), international agencies, philanthropists, corporations and academic centers. Lessons learned from LMICs and from previous experiences in development assistance, realignment of countries priorities and private financial assistance provide tangible examples about how expanding surgical care to many in low resource settings can be done.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Konrad Obermann, Peter Müller, Hans-Heiko Müller, Burkhard Schmidt, Bernd Glazinski; Understanding the German Health Care System; Mannheim Institute of Public Health.

  2. 2.

    Germany is a federal republic consisting of sixteen states, commonly known as bundesland (plural Bundesländer).

  3. 3.

    William D Savedoff; op. cit.

  4. 4.

    Lawrence O Gostin; op. cit.

  5. 5.

    Desmond T. Jumbam, op. cit.

  6. 6.

    Musgrove, op. cit.

  7. 7.

    Ibid.

  8. 8.

    Ibid.

  9. 9.

    CIA Factbook, Jan 2014.

  10. 10.

    According to WHO’s Global spending on health 2020, in 2018 tax revenues in low-income countries represented less than 13% of GDP.

  11. 11.

    Ibid.

  12. 12.

    Sato; op. cit.

  13. 13.

    Ibid.

  14. 14.

    These accumulated holdings are larger than the 2019 economic output of countries like Sweden, Argentina or Austria (“GDP (current US$)”. World Development Indicators. World Bank. Accessed on 2/18/21).

  15. 15.

    Ibid.

  16. 16.

    Koop; op. cit.

  17. 17.

    Conversation with Dr. Ray Price (2-26-21).

  18. 18.

    Global spending on health 2020; op. cit.

  19. 19.

    Global spending on health 2020; op. cit.

  20. 20.

    Global spending on health 2020; op. cit.

  21. 21.

    Between 2008 and 2011, the author served as the Chief of Party of Smiling Sun in Bangladesh. This network of NGOs provided services to close to 15 million Bangladeshis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Juan Carlos Negrette

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Correspondence to Juan Carlos Negrette .

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  1. Division of Cardiac Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA

    Jacques Kpodonu

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Negrette, J.C. (2022). Global Surgery Financing, Challenges and Possibilities. In: Kpodonu, J. (eds) Global Cardiac Surgery Capacity Development in Low and Middle Income Countries. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83864-5_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83864-5_4

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