ABSTRACT
Assessment: This remarkable monograph was created by a large Lancet Commission to address the surgical needs globally. World leaders in the Commission gathered epidemiologic data from which they produced five key messages: (1) 5 billion people do not have access to safe affordable surgical and anesthesia care; (2) 143 million additional surgical procedures are needed in LMICs (low-income and middle-income countries) to save lives and prevent disability; (3) 33 million individuals face catastrophic health expenditures due to payment for surgery and anesthesia care each year; (4) investing in surgical services in LMICs is affordable, saves lives, and promotes economic growth; (5) surgery is an “indivisible, indispensable part of health care.”
