Pediatric surgery in Eastern Africa: The unmet need.

Pediatric age groups constitute more than 50% of the Sub-Saharan African, SSA, population. Very poor socioeconomic conditions and rare and advanced pathologies are the major health challenges of the region. Despite the overwhelming burden of diseases in the region, the health workforce and infrastructure are underdeveloped. The overall poverty, poor hygiene and sanitation, and widespread infectious disease with very limited infrastructures (road, health institutions) on top of lack of government commitment to improve the health of their people are some of the drawbacks that fail to address the unmet needs of pediatric health in SSA. Complications of surgical care have become a major cause of morbidity and mortality with significant implications for public health. These issues are magnified in developing countries, especially sub-Saharan Africa. The challenge is even more prominent in pediatric surgery, where the population is larger, and there is a shortage of specialists. In this lecture, I describe the difficulties faced from the East African and Ethiopian perspective as well as the role of colleges from high income countries to support SSA to address the unmet pediatric surgery needs.