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Review
. 2024 Feb 21:12:1325922.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1325922. eCollection 2024.

Achieving Surgical, Obstetric, Trauma, and Anesthesia (SOTA) care for all in South Asia

Siddhesh Zadey  1   2   3   4 , Shirish Rao  1   5   6 , Isha Gondi  5   7 , Natalie Sheneman  5 , Chaitrali Patil  5   8 , Anveshi Nayan  1   6 , Himanshu Iyer  1 , Arti Raj Kumar  9 , Arun Prasad  10 , G Allen Finley  11 , Chellapuram Raja Krishna Prasad  12 , Chintamani  13 , Dhananjaya Sharma  14 , Dhruva Ghosh  9 , Gnanaraj Jesudian  15   16   17   18 , Irum Fatima  19 , Jogi Pattisapu  20 , Justin Sangwook Ko  21 , Lovenish Bains  22   23 , Mashal Shah  24 , Mohammed Shadrul Alam  25   26   27   28 , Narmada Hadigal  29   30 , Naveen Malhotra  31 , Nilmini Wijesuriya  32 , Prateek Shukla  9 , Sadaf Khan  24 , Sunil Pandya  33 , Tariq Khan  34 , Tashi Tenzin  35   36   37 , Venkat Raja Hadiga  38 , Daniel Peterson  5
Affiliations
Review

Achieving Surgical, Obstetric, Trauma, and Anesthesia (SOTA) care for all in South Asia

Siddhesh Zadey et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

South Asia is a demographically crucial, economically aspiring, and socio-culturally diverse region in the world. The region contributes to a large burden of surgically-treatable disease conditions. A large number of people in South Asia cannot access safe and affordable surgical, obstetric, trauma, and anesthesia (SOTA) care when in need. Yet, attention to the region in Global Surgery and Global Health is limited. Here, we assess the status of SOTA care in South Asia. We summarize the evidence on SOTA care indicators and planning. Region-wide, as well as country-specific challenges are highlighted. We also discuss potential directions-initiatives and innovations-toward addressing these challenges. Local partnerships, sustained research and advocacy efforts, and politics can be aligned with evidence-based policymaking and health planning to achieve equitable SOTA care access in the South Asian region under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Keywords: LMICs; SOTA care; South Asia; global surgery; health planning; priorities.

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Conflict of interest statement

SZ represents the Association for Socially Applicable Research (ASAR) on the drafting committee of the Maharashtra State Mental Health Policy. He has previously received honoraria from Think Global Health, Harvard Public Health Magazine, and The Hindu. He is on the advisory board of ASAR and Nivarana. JP has received consulting fees from Integra Neurosciences and Johnson & Johnson in the past. GJ was employed by the Rural Surgery Innovations Private Limited. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Burden of surgically-avertable diseases in South Asia compared to LMICs. Data has been obtained from studies conducted by Higashi et al. (26–29). Burden is measured in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Unintentional injuries include exposure to mechanical forces, adverse effects of medical treatment, animal contact (venomous/nonvenomous), and unintentional injuries not classified elsewhere in the GBD 2010 Study. Poisoning, drowning, self-harm, and intentional injury, others (including exposure to forces of nature, collective violence, and legal intervention) are not included here.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Value of lost economic welfare due to surgically-avertable disease burden in 2010 for South Asian countries as expressed in (A) absolute amount in billion 2010 USD PPP and (B) % GDP in 2010. Data has been obtained from a previous modeling study by Alkire and colleagues associated with the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery (32). USD, United States dollar; PPP, Purchasing Power Parity; GDP, Gross Domestic Product.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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