What are Neglected Surgical Diseases?

Neglected Surgical Diseases (NSDs), are surgical conditions that have a public health burden for which cost-effective solutions exist today. They impose an enormous burden on society, causing profound isolation, social stigma, enormous suffering, and massive loss of economic output. They are currently not being addressed systematically in public health and are not treated in most primary care and community settings. These conditions are addressed through availability of emergency and essential surgery.

Despite progress in advancing the global and national conversation on surgical care, an untreated surgical condition still takes the life of someone around the world every 2 seconds. Safe, affordable, and timely surgical and anesthesia care, are essential to reduce preventable death and disability, remains an unattainable luxury for up to 5 billion people around the world.

Children and women are the worst affected population. Safe and cost-effective interventions could avert an estimated 17 million deaths, and over 77 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALY) annually.

Without essential surgeries as part of the continuum of primary care, easily remedied conditions become lethal and disabling; these conditions are neglected in the public health domain and needs more attention and worldwide effort.

Neglected Surgical Diseases (NSDs), include children suffering from untreated clefts and clubfoot; women suffering from an obstetric fistula; and men, women, and children suffering from cataracts, hernias, and neglected trauma and other surgical conditions highlighted by the World Bank’s Disease Control Priorities 3rd edition (DCP3) on Essential Surgery.

ICES and the Henry Family Advised Fund aim to provide a proof of concept on national and county-level engagement towards the elimination of the backlog of Neglected Surgical Diseases (NSDs).

With the government of Kenya, we are calling for a Decade of Action to Eradicate Neglected Surgical Diseases by 2030.

Join us in the fight for The Right to Heal.