Evidence-Driven Policies for Sustainably Scaling Up Surgical Task-Sharing in Malawi; Comment on “Improving Access to Surgery Through Surgical Team Mentoring – Policy Lessons From Group Model Building With Local Stakeholders in Malawi”

Document Type : Commentary

Authors

1 Department of Policy and Advocacy, Operation Smile, Virginia Beach, VA, USA

2 Operation Smile Ghana, Accra, Ghana

3 Operation Smile DR Congo, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

4 Royal London Hospital, London, UK

5 Department of Neurosurgery, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi

Abstract

This commentary discusses an article by Broekhuizen et al which assesses policy options for scaling up the SURG-Africa surgical team mentoring program in Malawi to increase access to surgical care. In modeling these scenarios, the authors assess the cost of scaling up surgical teams mentoring and the impacts of scaling the program on district hospitals (DHs) and central hospitals (CHs). The additional costs borne by DHs when increasing surgical volume remains a significant issue identified by the authors and could ultimately determine the success of the program. The piece indirectly advocates for an increased role for task-shifting. The Ministry of Health of Malawi will have to ensure the appropriate governance and regulatory processes are in place to maintain quality and accountability.

Keywords

References

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International Journal of Health Policy and Management
Volume 11, Issue 11
November 2022
Pages 2752-2754

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History

  • Receive Date: 02 December 2021
  • Revise Date: 20 March 2022
  • Accept Date: 28 March 2022
  • First Publish Date: 29 March 2022

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