Safe, affordable, and timely surgical and anesthesia care is essential to reduce preventable death and disability, yet up to 5 billion people worldwide lack access.

Neglected Surgical Diseases (NSDs)

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.

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.

Neglected Surgical Diseases (NSDs) 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 two seconds. Safe, affordable, and timely surgical and anesthesia care, essential to reduce preventable death and disability, remains an unattainable luxury for up to five billion people around the world.

NSDs disproportionately affect low- and middle- income countries and cause an enormous burden on society through lost economic productivity, social stigma, and immense suffering.

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.

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- namely: cleft lip and palate, cataract, hernia, obstetric fistula, neglected injury and clubfoot as a catalyst for surgical systems strengthening.

Essential Surgery Definition: Noun

1. Basic surgical procedures that prevent permanent disability & life-threatening complications.

2. Simple, affordable surgery that saves lives.