24 January 2020, Geneva, Switzerland - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Center for Global Surgery (CGS), McGill University Health Care (MUHC), signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU was signed within the context of the activities of the Global Surgery Platform at UNITAR, which was recently presented at a special event during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The Center for Global Surgery is committed to preventing and improving outcomes from injury and surgical disease in resource limited settings around the world, while McGill University Health Care believes in sharing knowledge, expertise and experience to promote lasting and sustainable improvements in health and safety in the developing world. The Global Surgery Platform aims to facilitate the development of surgical, obstetrical and anesthesia care systems that will ensure universal access to emergency and essential surgical care that is safe, timely and affordable.
The global burden of non-communicable diseases and injury is increasing at an alarming rate. The demand for surgical care and anaesthesia is rising proportionately. Approximately 30% of the world’s burden of disease is caused by conditions that can be treated by surgery or require the direct care of a surgeon. Capacity building is an important instrument in tackling social health inequities by enhancing the capacity of organisations at national, regional and local levels to address the social determinants of the health inequalities.
Global surgery initiatives have long been a strong focus for McGill University Health Centre faculty. Co-founded by trauma surgeons Dan Deckelbaum and Tarek Razek, the Centre for Global Surgery serves several regions in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Thanks to an understanding of the depth of surgical issues in low- and middle-income nations, senior faculty at the MUHC continue to spearhead projects that allow for the growth of ideas and initiatives similar to those mentioned above.
UNITAR and CGS aim to collaborate and contribute to global surgical initiatives, strengthen our partnerships with further opportunities for alliance, introduction of new programs, and on-site surgical care, putting the Global Surgery Platform and the McGill University Health System at the forefront of the global surgery efforts. UNITAR is eager to cooperate with the Center for Global Surgery in this arena that is so important to achieving the 2030 Agenda.