1: Re-humanizing Global Surgery - an intimate conversation with Emmanuel Makasa

Dr. Emmanuel Makasa does not require an introduction, and he tells his story and career path better than anyone else. In short, he is an orthopaedics and trauma surgeon turned global health diplomat with senior management experience at the Zambian Ministry of Health as Deputy Director responsible for Emergency Health Services. He was Secretary General of the Zambia Medical Association (2007-2008) and Secretary General of the Surgical Society of Zambia (2006-2007). He is a counsellor for the UN and an advisor for several global health organizations such as the G4 Alliance and the Global Surgery Foundation.

We talk about the Lancet Commission, how he became involved and his perspective on the (lack of) practical applications of the Commission’s recommendations. He speaks passionately on the importance of engaging patients in global surgery initiatives. He highlights the importance of doing research on the social and economic impact of surgery on people’s livelihood and productivity. He encourages surgeons to be better advocates for their patients by leaving the cocoon of their operating rooms and speaking up about the positive impact of surgery and challenges they face. Emmanuel believes that we can help by creating partnerships between high-income countries and low-middle income countries’ academic institutions for graduate programs. When asked to choose a single actionable item he has the simplest and most impactful answer: “put the patient first”.

Thank you Dr. Makasa for this phenomenal conversation. We look forward to having you again on the podcast.

Recommended links:

1. The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery: https://www.lancetglobalsurgery.org/
2. The Zambia NSOAP: https://www.pgssc.org/national-surgical-planning
3. The outreach program FlySpec providing free orthopedic care across Zambia: https://www.flyspec.org/

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