Access to emergency and essential surgery obstetrics trauma and anaesthesia healthcare: a contemporary overview

Work around access to timely, appropriate and affordable emergency and essential surgery, obstetrics, trauma and anaesthesia healthcare services has been on the upswing within the global health agenda under the new field of global surgery since the year 2015. Some key milestones have been attained while many actors have come on board. The global surgical disease burden has been adequately mapped out while the cost-effectiveness of delivery of appropriate surgical health services at the first level health facility has also been demonstrated through models by development partners and academic institutions. High-level political commitment through the United Nationals specialised agency for health—the World Health Organisation, has been secured in the form of a resolution and a decision. However, many issues remain unattended and many trends, among them appropriate financing for the new area of work, remain unsatisfactory. This paper presents a general overview of current work and trends in the field of global surgery as part of the greater global health agenda and offers a few projections on the future of this work. Key areas of global surgery work have been reviewed, among them leadership and coordination; advocacy and global health diplomacy; service delivery as well as training and research. The paper also covers a snapshot on how the ongoing COVID19 pandemic is affecting and influencing the global surgery agenda.