Description

Access to safe, timely, and affordable surgical care remains a major challenge in many low-resource settings. Almost everyone will need surgery at some point in their lives, yet five billion people—over half the global population—cannot access safe, affordable surgical and anesthesia care when they need it. Despite this overwhelming need, only 6% of the world’s surgeries take place in the poorest countries, home to over a third of the global population. In low-income and lower-middle-income countries, 9 out of 10 people lack access to basic surgical care. Financial hardship further compounds this crisis; each year, 81 million people face catastrophic expenses due to surgical costs, both medical and non-medical (e.g., cost of travel or post-op care). This workshop brings together engineers, surgeons, and innovators to examine the real-world challenges behind these statistics and explore existing solutions that are making a difference. Attendees will learn about successful innovations, emerging use cases, and persistent challenges, sparking ideas for improving surgical care in underserved regions.

A highlight of the workshop will be a presentation by Dr. David Kulber from Ohana One, an organisation dedicated to advancing global surgical care through mentorship, technology, and innovation. More about Ohana’s work can be found in the documentary:
Ten Thousand Mile Bridge: Closing the Surgical Gap in Sub-Saharan Africa
Drawing on experiences from low-resource settings, Dr. Kulber and other leading surgeons will share firsthand insights into the barriers to surgical care and practical opportunities for change.

The workshop will conclude with an interactive brainstorming session focusing on Honduras as a use case, where participants will collaborate to identify key priorities, challenges, relevant technologies, and actionable steps to advance surgical equity in the region through stronger partnerships between surgeons and engineers.
This workshop is ideal for medical professionals, engineers, global health advocates, and innovators eager to understand the realities of surgical care in underserved settings. By participating, you will connect with experts, exchange ideas, and contribute to shaping pathways for collaboration that can improve surgical equity.

Programme

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will:

• • Explore Innovative Solutions: Learn about successful innovations, technologies, and strategies that are improving access to surgical care in low-resource settings.
  • Identify Key Challenges: Gain firsthand insights from surgeons practicing in low-resource settings about the practical barriers they face and the urgent need for creative and sustainable solutions.
  • Discover Opportunities for Collaboration: Examine how the intersection of engineering and medical expertise can address surgical inequities and identify actionable pathways to improve collaboration among engineers, healthcare professionals, and innovators.