Access to surgical care and the burden of surgical disease have historically been neglected by multilateral organizations, but there is growing evidence that providing surgical services should be a priority of the global health community.  Surgical disease contributes to at least 11% of the total global burden of disease, but one of the greatest barriers to global surgical care is a dearth of surgeons and surgical caregivers.  In most regions in Africa, the populace has over 100-fold fewer surgeons per capita than are found in the United States and Europe.  In Rwanda, a country of nearly 10 million people, there are only 10 practicing general surgeons, many of whom have significant administrative responsibilities.

In order to address these issues, we are working to create a sustainable partnership between University of Virginia surgeons and trainees and their academic counterparts at the University Central Hospital of Kigali in Rwanda.

Keep checking back to follow the blog of one of our surgery residents who has been awarded a Fogarty International Clinical Research Fellowship to study the burden of surgical disease in Rwanda in partnership with our Rwandan colleagues!

CHECK OUT MY FULL BLOG HERE: http://surgeryinrwanda.wordpress.com