“What I can argue is that no one should have to die of a disease that is treatable.”

Dr. Paul Farmer, MD

Why surgery?

According to the Lancet Commission, five billion people do not have access to the safe, affordable surgical and anesthesia care they desperately need. In high-income countries, nearly 15% of the population cannot access needed surgery, but in low and lower-middle income countries like Bolivia and Paraguay, the burden is much more dire, with an estimated 94% of the population unable to access this type of care.

Barriers to care include lack of trained health care providers, inadequate infrastructure, disproportionate out-of-pocket healthcare costs, and lack of prioritization of surgical, obstetric, trauma and anesthesia care as part of national health plans and, more widely, the global agenda.

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Increasing surgical access

“Surgical care has an incontrovertible, cross-cutting role in achievement of local and global health challenges. It is an important part of the solution to many diseases—for both old threats and new challenges—and a crucial component of a functional, responsive, and resilient health system. The health gains from scaling up surgical care in LMICs are great and the economic benefits substantial. They accrue across all disease-cause categories and at all stages of life, but especially benefit our youth and young adult populations. The provision of safe and affordable surgical and anaesthesia care when needed not only reduces premature death and disability, but also boosts welfare, economic productivity, capacity, and freedoms, contributing to long-term development.”

The Lancet Commissions "Global Surgery 2030: evidence and solutions for achieving health, welfare, and economic development.”

solidarity bridge’s model

“The research strongly recommends building sustainable partnerships within local health systems—with teaching activities as the main objective—as a collaborative way to help to improve surgical care in LMICs.”

Our world is marked by tremendous inequities in health care. Surgery requires significant investments in and access to training and resources on the part of a health system—and for patients, the expense can be insurmountable. In relationships of solidarity and mutuality, our teams work alongside their counterparts to address these inequities through:

Training in advanced surgical techniques and procedures
Understanding and progressively mobilizing equipment and supply needs, and
Reducing systemic and individual barriers to surgical care for patients.

Training

At the direction of our partners in Bolivia and Paraguay, we identify areas in which experienced surgical practitioners can provide skill development and training in order to expand the scope and availability of surgical treatment performed by local professionals. We offer both theoretical training via lectures, case discussions and other peer-to-peer exchanges as well as practical, hands-on training through mentored surgeries. US medical teams provide this training both virtually and during week-long mission trips to Bolivia and Paraguay. In addition, qualified Bolivian doctors pass along training they’ve received to Bolivian medical students through lectures and workshops, and to their local medical peers during surgical campaigns.

Supplies and Equipment

We seek to address disparities in access to surgical supplies and equipment through collaborative strategies for sustainable resource mobilization. Based on locally identified needs, Solidarity Bridge works with Medical Surplus Recovery Organizations to redistribute and effectively utilize high-quality medical supplies and equipment to improve the health of those in need. Needed supplies are requested and gathered from multiple donors or purchased as needed and delivered to our partners via shipping containers or hand-carried by our traveling medical teams. We are especially grateful to long-time partners Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach, MAP International, Americares, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific among others for advancing our vision of a world where healthcare workers have the resources they need to serve their communities.

Reducing Economic Barriers

“In LMICs, low income or lack of access to money was the most common barrier to care seeking, with direct costs described as ‘prohibitively high.’ Patients often pay for healthcare out of their own pocket, meaning many families face hardship if healthcare is required.”

Solidarity Bridge and our partners work to reduce these economic barriers through 1) Partnership Agreements with local hospitals, physicians, pharmacies, and labs who agree to charge lower “Solidarity Rates” for patients in need 2) Distribution of donated equipment and supplies to hospitals, doctors, and patients to lower surgical costs 3) Financial assistance for pre-surgical tests and labs 4) Connecting patients to other public, private, and community resources.

Reducing Socio-Cultural Barriers

Financial cost is only one barrier to surgical care for patients in Bolivia and Paraguay. Many other barriers lead to the delay or inaccessibility of care. These include such things as 1) lack of knowledge of available options 2) distance to an available facility 3) time off work needed for recovery, and 4) fear of the unknown. Through the full-time services of social workers and pastoral care staff, Solidarity Bridge and our partners work to understand and accompany patients as they overcome these and other socio-cultural barriers enabling them to access healing care.

Missioner Preparation: Increasing access to safe, affordable surgery and health care

Why surgery?

Increasing surgical access

solidarity bridge’s model

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