USAID’s commitment to global health is far-reaching and well-known, from increasing access to HIV treatment for millions, to distributing life-saving vaccines, to slowing the spread of deadly diseases like malaria and tuberculosis (TB). One area of the agency’s work that often goes overlooked and underfunded, is the effort to fight Neglected Surgical Conditions. Also known as the “Silent Disaster,” a host of conditions that could be treated with simple and effective surgical care, instead lead to more death and disability than HIV-AIDS, malaria, and TB combined.

Every year, 17 million people die due to inadequate access to safe, timely surgical care. And serious but treatable health issues such as cleft lip and palate, club foot, cataracts, hernias, fistulas, and untreated traumatic injuries persist in developing countries. The disproportionate impact on developing nations results in widespread hardship, suffering, and increased economic instability. Through training local surgical teams and assisting countries’ ministries of health to develop and implement national surgical plans, USAID’s work in this space is key to improving health capacity around the globe.

Instability anywhere is a threat to stability everywhere. The same is true of global health. Not only is saving lives of those in need around the globe the right thing to do, but it’s the smart thing to do as resilient public health systems helps keep us safe from the escalating risk of global epidemics, pandemics, and other infectious disease threats. Improving surgical health capacity also greatly benefits U.S. industry in medical equipment and device manufacturing by creating new markets for business expansion.

USGLC brings together many diverse members that are making a significant impact in the global health space. And our new Illinois Advisory Committee member, Claire Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer of One World Surgery is proof of that.  One World Surgery is an Illinois-headquartered, internationally focused, 15-year-old, nonprofit organization that provides life-saving surgeries and train-the-trainer surgical education to doctors, nurses, and medical professionals in Honduras and the Dominican Republic.  In the last year, One World Surgery has provided thousands of maternal health, orthopedic, and other specialty surgeries and trained dozens of surgeons, doctors, and medical staff in these key regions.

One World Surgery believes in maximizing its impact by partnering with like-minded organizations to prevent the needless suffering of millions every year who lack access to quality surgical procedures. Neglected surgical conditions cause 25% of avoidable mortality and 40% of avoidable morbidity. Primary causes of death include maternal health related obstacles, such as lack of fistula prevention-cesarean section procedures, orthopedic, hernia, traumatic injuries from auto accidents, and related medical emergencies.  But if early intervention was prioritized and safe affordable treatments were implemented in these countries, millions of lives could be saved.

As we learned all-too-painfully during the height of the Covid pandemic, global health challenges in far corners of the globe can have far reaching impacts on all our lives. And while global health threats can cross borders, so too global health solutions can cross borders to help those in need. Working together, we can dramatically reduce the preventable pain of Neglected Surgical Conditions around the world – benefiting global health while advancing our own security, prosperity, and values.