A landmark report, "Global Surgery 2030: evidence and solutions for achieving health, welfare and economic development" by The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery highlighted that in 2010, an estimated 16.9 million lives were lost due to lack of accessible, safe and affordable surgery. This figure is 4 times the mortality caused by malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS combined. The report demonstrates that surgical conditions impede economic development in LMICs (low-income and middle-income countries). Without intervention, surgical conditions will be a major barrier to economic growth, productivity and welfare in LMICs and there is a compelling need for a scale-up of surgical care in our region.
In partnership with donors and other like-minded academic institutions, Surgery ACP started the Global Surgery Programme to enhance regional surgical capabilities and improve patient outcomes by playing a leading role in regional capacity building.
Surgery ACP plan to introduce a Capacity Building Beyond Borders - Global Surgery Programme to “help others to help themselves” through capability transfer in resource-limited countries. The purpose of the programme is to build a regional network which will create goodwill between Singapore and other countries to facilitate the transfer of surgical knowledge and skills in various surgical speciality fields with the intention of building bridges of cooperation and exchange.
We will develop and strengthen our capacity building programs in partnership with selected countries to region such as Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka etc.
Through empowering regional medical practitioners on taking leadership roles, the programme aspires to steer them towards a more self-sustaining surgical medical competencies within their local communities. Additionally, trained medical practitioners benefitting from this programme will in turn train their local counterparts which ensures the continuation of capacity building and capabilities advancement with the partner hospitals.
The core aims of the Global Surgery Programme includes:
These 3 aims will be achieved through overseas engagements, and regional capacity building through continuing education workshops and clinical fellowship programme.
Overseas Engagement
Increase the number of overseas engagements with resource poor region to provide surgical care in countries where the need is great and resources scarce by educating local doctors to build professional capacity in their countries.
Clinical Fellowship Programme
Dr Hana Arbab
from Pakistan, fellowship attachment to KKH's Paediatric Surgery Department from Dec 2019 – Dec 2020 (12 months)
The Clinical Fellowship programme will be in the form of an intensive 3 months, 6 months to 1-year hands-on structured sub-spec fellowship scholarship with the attached departments. Items funded by the programme include stipend, airfare, administration fee, training employment pass and pre-fellowship medical exam fees etc.
Workshop Sponsorships
The requested funding support in the form of travel grants and/or conference registration for regional participant help to provide travel support for meaningful participation in these workshops/congresses.
With the easing of travel measures, we hope to explore further overseas engagements and welcome more overseas fellows for fellowship trainings. Knowledge transfer and exchange will be facilitated through webinars and live streaming technology, online surgical conferences, workshops and live stream surgical demonstrations for continuous capacity building with regional hospital partners instead of physical meetings.
