Department of Neurosurgery, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, D.C., USA.
University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California, USA.
World Neurosurg. 2021 Sep;153:44-51. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2021.06.136. Epub 2021 Jul 3.
Surgical conditions account for as much as one third of the global burden of disease, yet 5 billion people worldwide do not have access to timely, affordable surgical care. These disparities in access to timely surgical care are most pronounced in low- and middle-income countries, where the availability of specialty surgical services such as neurosurgery are severely limited or completely absent. The African autonomous region of Somaliland, in the Horn of Africa, is one such region.
Discussions were conducted with key individuals in Somaliland to ascertain the current state of neurosurgery in Somaliland.
The current state of neurosurgery in Somaliland was characterized. First, a background on the recent history of the republic and the surrounding region was furnished, which provides context for the challenging socioeconomic conditions in Somaliland. Brief biographical sketches were presented of local leaders and general surgeons who are actively working to improve economic and health conditions and who welcome opportunities to improve all health services, including neurosurgery. In addition, an overview was presented of new initiatives in capacity building in neurosurgery and sources of directed training and care in neurosurgery.
This article provides the first-ever assessment of current neurosurgery-related activity in Somaliland. The article provides recommendations to guide the international neurosurgery community in future contributions.
手术条件占全球疾病负担的三分之一，但全球仍有 50 亿人无法获得及时、负担得起的手术护理。在中低收入国家，获得及时手术护理的机会存在明显差距，这些国家的神经外科等专业外科服务的供应严重受限或完全缺失。非洲之角的索马里兰自治区就是这样一个地区。
与索马里兰的关键人物进行了讨论，以了解索马里兰神经外科的现状。
描述了索马里兰神经外科的现状。首先，提供了该共和国和周边地区近期历史的背景，为索马里兰困难的社会经济条件提供了背景。介绍了积极努力改善经济和健康状况的当地领导人以及普通外科医生的简要传记，他们欢迎有机会改善包括神经外科在内的所有卫生服务。此外，还介绍了神经外科能力建设方面的新举措以及神经外科定向培训和护理的来源。
本文首次评估了索马里兰目前与神经外科相关的活动。本文提出了建议，以指导国际神经外科学会在未来的贡献。
