Understanding the barriers to surgery
Gaps in surgical care result in preventable death and disability. In the Asia Pacific region, people with injuries and other conditions are often not treated fast enough or well enough – if they are treated at all.
Interplast Australia and New Zealand (Interplast) provides lifesaving surgery and medical training in low- and middle-income countries to repair bodies and rebuild lives. Working in partnership with local organisations, Interplast provides surgical services to those who could not otherwise afford or access them.
Understanding the barriers people face in accessing life-changing surgery is essential to delivering equitable health services. The Nossal Institute for Global Health has been appointed by Interplast and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) to analyse the impact of disability and gender on access to surgery and other specialist health services in six Pacific countries. The analysis will help to inform and refine their strategy, and activities aimed at increasing gender equality and disability inclusion.
Nossal’s multi-disciplinary team, led by Andrea Boudville, will identify key research themes and make recommendations to inform program design in each country with an in-depth understanding of how gender and disability impact access to specialist health services, and impact employment within the health workforce.
The Gender Equality and Disability Inclusion Contextual Analysis is supported by the Australian Government’s Pacific Island Program and implemented by Interplast and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), through its Global Health team.