Measuring Global Surgical Disparities: A Survey of Surgical and Anesthesia Infrastructure in Bangladesh
- 2 October 2012
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in World Journal of Surgery
- Vol. 37 (1), 24-31
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-012-1806-7
Abstract
Background Surgically treatable diseases weigh heavily on the lives of people in resource-poor countries. Though global surgical disparities are increasingly recognized as a public health priority, the extent of these disparities is unknown because of a lack of data. The present study sought to measure surgical and anesthesia infrastructure in Bangladesh as part of an international study assessing surgical and anesthesia capacity in low income nations. Methods A comprehensive survey tool was administered via convenience sampling at one public district hospital and one public tertiary care hospital in each of the seven administrative divisions of Bangladesh. Results There are an estimated 1,200 obstetricians, 2,615 general and subspecialist surgeons, and 850 anesthesiologists in Bangladesh. These numbers correspond to 0.24 surgical providers per 10,000 people and 0.05 anesthesiologists per 10,000 people. Surveyed hospitals performed a large number of operations annually despite having minimal clinical human resources and inadequate physical infrastructure. Shortages in equipment and/or essential medicines were reported at all hospitals and these shortages were particularly severe at the district hospital level. Conclusions In order to meet the immense demand for surgical care in Bangladesh, public hospitals must address critical shortages in skilled human resources, inadequate physical infrastructure, and low availability of equipment and essential medications. This study identified numerous areas in which the international community can play a vital role in increasing surgical and anesthesia capacity in Bangladesh and ensuring safe surgery for all in the country.Keywords
This publication has 17 references indexed in Scilit:
- Challenges of Surgery in Developing Countries: A Survey of Surgical and Anesthesia Capacity in Uganda’s Public HospitalsWorld Journal of Surgery, 2012
- Emergency and surgery services of primary hospitals in the United Republic of TanzaniaBMJ Open, 2012
- Emergency, anaesthetic and essential surgical capacity in the GambiaBulletin of the World Health Organization, 2011
- Paediatric surgery and anaesthesia in south-western Uganda: a cross-sectional surveyBulletin of the World Health Organization, 2010
- Assessment of capacity for surgery, obstetrics and anaesthesia in 17 Ghanaian hospitals using a WHO assessment toolTropical Medicine & International Health, 2010
- Survey of Emergency and Surgical Capacity in the Conflict‐Affected Regions of Sri LankaWorld Journal of Surgery, 2009
- The burden of surgical conditions and access to surgical care in low- and middle-income countriesPublished by WHO Press ,2008
- Surgery and Global Health: A View from Beyond the ORWorld Journal of Surgery, 2008
- The World Health report 2006 1 : Working together for health 2Published by Informa UK Limited ,2006
- Ghost Doctors: Absenteeism in Rural Bangladeshi Health FacilitiesThe World Bank Economic Review, 2004