Kerman University of Medical Sciences International Journal of Health Policy and Management 2322-5939 11 9 2022 09 01 Ending Neglected Surgical Diseases (NSDs): Definitions, Strategies, and Goals for the Next Decade 1608 1615 3887 10.34172/ijhpm.2020.140 EN Jaymie A. Henry The Global Alliance for Surgical, Obstetric, Trauma, and Anesthesia Care (G4 Alliance), Chicago, IL, USA International Collaboration for Essential Surgery (ICES), Boca Raton, FL, USA Department of Surgery, Florida Atlantic University (FAU), Boca Raton, FL, USA 0000-0003-3331-8704 Angela S. Volk Baylor College of Medicine Division of Plastic Surgery, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA Sicily K. Kariuki Ministry of Health Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya Kiraitu Murungi County Government of Meru County, Meru County, Kenya Trina Firmalo Provincial Government of Odiongan, Odiongan, Philippines Ruth Laibon Masha Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Geneva, Switzerland Orion Henry Finders Keepers Technologies LLC, Boca Raton, FL, USA Peter Arimi University of Nairobi College of Health Sciences, Nairobi, Kenya Patrick Mwai International Collaboration for Essential Surgery (ICES), Boca Raton, FL, USA Estella Waiguru Ministry of Health Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya Evans Mwiti Mount Kenya University (MKU), Thika, Kenya Dan Okoro United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Nairobi, Kenya Angella Langat Beyond Zero Secretariat, Kenya First Ladies’ Office, Nairobi, Kenya Cosmas Mugambi Ministry of Health Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya Erin Anastasi United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Campaign to End Fistula, New York City, NY, USA Gillian Slinger International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), Vancouver, BC, Canada Chris Lavy University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Global Clubfoot Initiative (GCI), London, UK Rosalind Owen Global Clubfoot Initiative (GCI), London, UK Erin Stieber Smile Train International, New York City, NY, USA Marc Lester Suntay World Surgical Foundation (WSF) Philippines, Manila, Philippines Danny Haddad Orbis International, New York City, NY, USA Robert Lane International Federation of Surgical Colleges (IFSC), London, UK Joel Buenaventura Child Family Health International Philippines, Manila, Philippines Neil Parsan Government of Trinidad and Tobago, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Fizan Abdullah Northwestern University Lurie Children’s Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA Michael Nebeker Mobile Surgery International, Oaxaca, Mexico Lismore Nebeker Mobile Surgery International, Oaxaca, Mexico Charles Mock University of Washington Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA Larry Hollier Baylor College of Medicine Division of Plastic Surgery, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA Pankaj Jani College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa (COSECSA), Arusha, Tanzania Journal Article 2020 01 07 While there has been overall progress in addressing the lack of access to surgical care worldwide, untreated surgical conditions in developing countries remain an underprioritized issue. Significant backlogs of advanced surgical disease called neglected surgical diseases (NSDs) result from massive disparities in access to quality surgical care. We aim to discuss a framework for a public health rights-based initiative designed to prevent and eliminate the backlog of NSDs in developing countries. We defined NSDs and set forth six criteria that focused on the applicability and practicality of implementing a program designed to eradicate the backlog of six target NSDs from the list of 44 Disease Control Priorities 3rd edition (DCP3) surgical interventions. The human rights-based approach (HRBA) was used to clarify NSDs role within global health. Literature reviews were conducted to ascertain the global disease burden, estimated global backlog, average cost per treatment, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) averted from the treatment, return on investment, and potential gain and economic impact of the NSDs identified. Six index NSDs were identified, including neglected cleft lips and palate, clubfoot, cataracts, hernias and hydroceles, injuries, and obstetric fistula. Global definitions were proposed as a starting point towards the prevention and elimination of the backlog of NSDs. Defining a subset of neglected surgical conditions that illustrates society’s role and responsibility in addressing them provides a framework through the HRBA lens for its eventual eradication. https://www.ijhpm.com/article_3887_9649dec6196d730c5e024f204477d8d1.pdf