5 Billion People Worldwide Have No Access to Surgery, Says A New Report

Five billion people worldwide have no access to safe and affordable surgery and anaesthesia when they need it, a new report has found. The access is more worst in low-income and lower-middle income countries.

The report by Commission stated that as many as nine out of ten people cannot access basic surgical care.

"In the absence of surgical care, common, easily treatable illnesses become fatal," says Andy Leather, Director of the King's Centre for Global Health, King's College London, UK, and another of the Commission's lead authors. "The global community cannot continue to ignore this problem - millions of people are already dying unnecessarily, and the need for equitable and affordable access to surgical services is projected to increase in the coming decades, as many of the worst affected countries face rising rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and road accidents."

Out of total 313 million surgeries done worldwide each year, just one in 20 occur in the poorest countries.

New estimates produced for the Commission find that there is a global shortfall of at least 143 million surgical procedures every year, with some regions needing nearly twice as many additional operations as others, TOI reported.

The study was published in the journal Lancet.