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Review
. 2023 Oct 10:11:20503121231204492.
doi: 10.1177/20503121231204492. eCollection 2023.

The unmet surgical needs of global refugee populations: A perspective review

Wireko Andrew Awuah  1 , Favour Tope Adebusoye  1 , Tomas Ferreira  2 , Saleha Azeem  3 , Hareesha Rishab Bharadwaj  4 , Aniekeme Amos Akpan  5 , Jack Wellington  6 , Muhammad Robass Zia  7 , Harendra Kumar  8 , Amna Khalid  3 , Toufik Abdul-Rahman  1 , Arda Isik  9
Affiliations
Review

The unmet surgical needs of global refugee populations: A perspective review

Wireko Andrew Awuah et al. SAGE Open Med. .

Abstract

The global refugee community, including those forced to flee due to persecution, conflict, or violence, faces significant challenges in accessing healthcare, resulting in a higher prevalence of surgical disease. These challenges have a profound impact on morbidity and mortality rates, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where many immigrants seek refuge. Limited availability of medical facilities, an inadequate surgical workforce, financial constraints and linguistic and cultural barriers all contribute to reduced access to healthcare. Limited access to competent healthcare leads to poor health outcomes, increased morbidity and mortality rates and suboptimal surgical results for refugees. To address these challenges, a multifaceted approach is necessary. This includes increased funding for healthcare initiatives, workforce recruitment and training and improved coordination between aid organisations and local healthcare systems. Strategies for managing surgical conditions in the global refugee community encompass the development of targeted public health programmes, removing legal barriers, establishing healthcare facilities to enhance surgical access and prioritising disease prevention among refugees.

Keywords: Surgical disease; global surgery; public health; refugee populations; surgical care.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Map distribution of displaced refugee population and host nations., Source: Created with Mapchart.net.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Challenges of unmet surgical needs in refugee populations. HIV: human immunodeficiency virus; AIDS: acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; PPROM: preterm premature rupture of the membranes.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Challenges in managing surgical diseases in global refugee populations.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Management strategies for surgical diseases in the global refugee population.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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