ABSTRACT
There are a number of different reasons that surgeons travel from high-income countries (HICs) to operate in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). These include emergency disaster relief, surgical “missions” that address a specific surgical problem, surgical visits as part of a long-term partnership, or occasionally as individuals. All approaches are valid and needed for specific situations, but unless such trips are carefully constructed, there is a risk of causing harm to local populations and damaging relationships.
