Globally, over 5 billion people lack access to safe, affordable and timely surgical care with the majority being in sub-Saharan Africa. The situation is worse in rural settings where more than 50% of the population lives. Global surgery is an emerging field aiming to respond to the global unmet needs for surgical care.
Recognizing the increasing interest among trainees and providers from around the world, the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) is starting a COSECSA Global Surgery Attachment Program. The program will expose trainees, fellows and providers to this emerging field of global health, and stimulate them toward the development of context-relevant questions and strategies to improve surgical care. The attachment will be at the selected COSECSA Accredited hospitals, 50% of which are in rural settings serving the largest population and with the highest unmet need for surgical care. They will be under the Program Directors who have the best understanding and work on a day-to-day basis to provide care in these settings.