Strengthening Surgical Systems

We are proud to announce that the Kids Operating Room 2023 Global Report ‘Strengthening Surgical Systems: The smartest investment in Global Health' has officially been published and is available to read or download below.

Researching and analysing the data from our projects is a hugely important component in our mission of bringing safe surgery to children across the globe. Not only does it allow us to continually improve our service, but, crucially, it provides the evidence required to illustrate the desperate need of investment in children's surgical infrastructure.

This year's report focussed on surgery's place within the WHO Health Systems Building Blocks, and outlines why we firmly believe that investing in children’s surgery is the smartest intervention in global health.

In low- and middle-income countries, 90% of people cannot access the surgical care they need.

The leading funders of global health need to accept that more of the same isn’t working. It’s time to walk the talk and create strong and robust health systems. And the data is clear, surgery delivered by skilled local teams is the best place to start.

KidsOR Co-Founder, Garreth Wood

Amongst the report's findings were that non-communicable diseases account for 71% of all deaths globally, whilst the highest risk is seen in LMICs in sub-Saharan Africa. This equates to millions of people dying from conditions that could have been treated by surgery - a factor that varies inequitably based on where you live.

A Kids Operating Room installation is an incredibly cost-effective intervention, costing just $77USD per year of disability averted by an operation in one of our theatres. This is a minuscule price to pay to change a child's and their families lives forever. In many cases, a simple procedure allows them to continue their childhood, continue their education, and ultimately gives the child a chance to grow up and contribute to the country's economy.

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