We believe that Essential Surgery should be a part of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and can and should be available through district hospitals across the globe. Essential Surgery strengthens health systems and creates an affordable and sustainable safety net for all people.

15x15 is a campaign that focuses on promoting the 15 essential interventions that can take care of the basic surgical needs of any community. 15x15’s overarching goal is to ensure that Essential Surgery is recognized as a priority for primary care policies, practice, and research by 2015.

15x15 aims to increase access to Essential Surgery through:

Piloting -- innovative models for task shifting and training non-MDs to perform surgery
Informing -- the field through research, publications, and screenings of the Right To Heal
Advocating -- for essential surgeries to be integrated into existing health systems

“We stand with WHO and UN member states, governments, the private sector, and civil society to recognize the need to provide people everywhere with access the most basic and affordable surgical services as a public health strategy. With innovations in workforce development, essential surgeries can be made sustainable and accessible in the most poorly resourced areas of the world."