Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved (JHCPU)
Volume 26, Number 1, February 2015
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_health_care_for_the_poor_and_underserved/toc/hpu.26.1.html

Building Surgical Capacity in Developing Countries: Lessons from Haiti and Honduras
Daniel G. Hottinger, Bhavesh M. Patel, Richard L. Frechette, Wynn Walent, Marc E. Augustin, Peter J. Daly
pp. 278-286 | 10.1353/hpu.2015.0011
Abstract
Summary:
The unmet burden of surgical disease in developing countries is large and growing. We successfully initiated two surgical field hospitals in austere environments. Similar problems were encountered in the areas of facility development, operations, and social considerations. A literature review was performed to contextualize our experience and compare it with that of others.

Conclusion
The unmet burden of surgical disease in the developing world is increasingly recognized as an important and justifiable public health priority, but there is a great deal of work to be done. We still do not know the precise burden of surgical disease in low and middle- income countries around the world. Countries must collect better data quantifying not only the current amount of surgical care being performed, but that details the numbers and types of surgical problems that go untreated. Only then can the global humanitarian community fully understand the problem and be engaged to bring the necessary resources to bear in a coordinated fashion. In addition to understanding local facility infrastructure and operational needs, building sustainable surgical capacity requires an understanding and engagement of the community being served.