Surgery kills 2.1 million people in developing countries: report

London: Every year, 2.1 million people in low- and middle-income countries die within 30 days of surgery, according to a new study published in The Lancet.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham claim that the number of postoperative deaths is 4.2 million worldwide. At least 7.7% of these deaths occur within 30 days of the operation, while 2.97 million die each year as a result of HIV, tuberculosis or malaria.

Providing operations to all patients in need would increase the number of postoperative deaths globally to 6.1 million.

"Surgery has been the" neglected half-child "of global health and has received a fraction of the investments invested in the treatment of infectious diseases such as malaria," said Dmitry Nepogodiev, a researcher at the University of Birmingham.

"To prevent millions of others from dying after an operation, the planned extension of access to surgery must be complemented by investments to improve the quality of surgery worldwide" , he added.

Postoperative deaths are more numerous than those attributed to another cause of death in the world, with the exception of ischemic heart disease and stroke.

Currently, about 4.8 billion people worldwide do not have timely access to safe and affordable surgery, and an unmet need for 143 million procedures in low-income countries is estimated to be unmet. and intermediate, reveals the report.

"Surgery saves lives and can transform patients' quality of life, but this study shows that a large number of patients die in the immediate postoperative period," said Professor Dion Morton, Barling Chair in Surgery. university.

"As efforts continue to increase access to surgery around the world, there is also a pressing need for research to improve quality and safety after surgery."

Indo-Asian Information Service