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. 2021 Jan;45(1):33-40.
doi: 10.1007/s00268-020-05794-7. Epub 2020 Sep 24.

Estimation of the National Surgical Needs in India by Enumerating the Surgical Procedures in an Urban Community Under Universal Health Coverage

Prashant Bhandarkar  1 , Anita Gadgil  2 , Priti Patil  1 , Monali Mohan  3 , Nobhojit Roy  4   5
Affiliations

Estimation of the National Surgical Needs in India by Enumerating the Surgical Procedures in an Urban Community Under Universal Health Coverage

Prashant Bhandarkar et al. World J Surg. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

Background: 11% of the global burden of disease requires surgical care or anaesthesia management or both. Some studies have estimated this burden to be as high as 30%. The Lancet Commission for Global Surgery (LCoGS) estimated that 5000 surgeries are required to meet the surgical burden of disease for 100,000 people in LMICs. Studies from LMICs, estimating surgical burden based on enumeration of surgeries, are sparse.

Method: We performed this study in an urban population availing employees' heath scheme in Mumbai, India. Surgical procedures performed in 2017 and 2018, under this free and equitable health scheme, were enumerated. We estimated the surgical needs for national population, based on age and sex distribution of surgeries and age standardization from our cohort.

Result: A total of 4642 surgeries were performed per year for a population of 88,273. Cataract (22.8%), Caesareans (3.8%), surgeries for fractures (3.27%) and hernia (2.86%) were the commonest surgeries. 44.2% of surgeries belonged to the essential surgeries. We estimated 3646 surgeries would be required per 100,000 Indian population per year. One-third of these surgeries would be needed for the age group 30-49 years, in the Indian population.

Conclusion: A total of 3646 surgeries were estimated annually to meet the surgical needs of Indian population as compared to the global estimate of 5000 surgeries per 100,000 people. Caesarean section, cataract, surgeries for fractures and hernia are the major contributors to the surgical needs. More enumeration-based studies are needed for better estimates from rural as well as other urban areas.

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Conflict of interest statement

There is no conflict of interest to disclose from any of the authors.

Figures

Fig.1
Fig.1
Estimated national surgical demand per year per 100,000 population; a Age- and sex-wise distribution of men and women and b Age- and sex-wise distribution of estimated surgeries amongst men and women
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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