A young girl in rural Kenya suffers injuries in a car accident that would require straightforward surgery in most parts of the world. In much of Africa, however, she faces a different reality where a lack of basic surgical capabilities could mean a lifetime of disability or even death.
As Dr. Faustine Ndugulile prepares to assume his new role as the World Health Organization director for the Africa region, he must address this urgent and often overlooked crisis. That is, the lack of access to safe, affordable surgical, obstetric, trauma, and anesthesia, or SOTA, care across the continent.
In wealthier countries, access to timely surgical care is expected, with established referral systems and advanced medical technologies ensuring high survival rates. For example, survival rates for osteosarcoma, a common childhood cancer, can exceed 70% in countries like the United States, with limb salvage occurring in 80% of cases. However, in most African countries, survival rates are much lower, with limb-sparing surgeries only available in less than 5% of cases. This gap is not because the disease is more severe in Africa but due to systemic barriers in access, infrastructure, and investment.
About the author
Dr. Nicholas Okumu
Dr. Nicholas Okumu is an orthopedic surgeon heading the orthopedic oncology unit at the Kenyatta National Hospital and formerly the head of the department of orthopedics at the same institution. He is the CEO of Stratus Medical Imaging Solutions, a private health care provider in Nairobi. He is a 2024 Global Surgery Advocacy fellow.
