The Branch for International Surgery (BIS) was created to advance surgical care in international health. It came about as a desire to build on the national interest in surgical care in international health and the realization of the strength of international activity that already exists among “surgical” members of the UBC faculty. Read about the most recent updates in the BIS newsletter 25 May 2011 .
QUICK FACTS
- Fifteen percent of the global burden of disease can be addressed with surgery.
- The wealthiest third of the global population receives 75% of the world’s total number of surgical procedures, estimated at 234 million every year, while the poorest third receives only 4% of these operations.
- Annual death and disability rate from trauma alone is more than HIV/AIDs, tuberculosis and malaria combined.
- Single largest global epidemic of preventable deaths is road traffic injury. About 85% of these happen in low-resource countries.
- 500,000 women die annually in childbirth—six countries account for half these deaths-Afghanistan, Pakistan, Congo, Ethiopia, India and Nigeria.