THE GLOBAL VOLUNTEERING NETWORK
MEDSIN GLOBAL SURGERY WORKING GROUP
The overriding emphasis placed on making a real difference to real people does not translate to turning a blind eye on the global scale of problems. Therefore, MegaReach considered itself privileged to be approached by the Medsin Global Surgery (MSG) group seeking assistance to spread its message among current and prospective students. MSG is a response to a crushing need that may best be illustrated by three simple facts:
1. 5 billion people around the world do not have access to safe, timely surgery.
2. Of the remaining 2 billion, a quarter face financial catastrophe following surgery related costs.
3. More people die from a lack of surgery then from AIDS, malaria and Tuberculosis combined.
For more information on how to get involved please email Salil Patel (below), the UK Global Surgery Student Group Lead Coordinator, at: salil.patel@students.pcmd.ac.uk
Alternatively, to keep up to date or find out more information, you can head to their specific Twitter or Facebook Group
Up-to-date information from the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery can be found via:
www.thelancet.com/commissions/global-surgery
MSG is a student-run public health network (the first of its kind in fact) dedicated to addressing what it sees as the root cause for this situation: the global inequality in access to surgery. It highlights the alarming discrepancies in survival rates due to causes only amenable to surgical interventions such as road traffic accidents, infections, cancers, congenital abnormalities, burns and pregnancy-related complications. For instance, approximately 800 women die daily from preventable complications of pregnancy and labour – 99% of which occur in low and middle income countries.
MSG is seeking to trigger a paradigm shift in the approach to surgical care, recognising the global shortage of 1 million surgical staff needs to be addressed by new ways of thinking. The group regularly liaises with the International Federation of Medical Students Association (IFMSA); a world-wide organisation representing 1.2 million students worldwide. Student research collaborations have already begun assemble a global task force to combat this inequality.
MSG is looking for innovative means of bringing the discussion on surgical inequality to the public domain, as, for instance, has been successfully achieved by charities focusing on infectious diseases. So if you would like to join the Medsin Global Surgery group or have any ideas on how to further their cause encapsulated in the aim “to empower students to address surgical inequality through research, education and advocacy” please contact them directly through the links provided. Alternatively, if you would like to develop a project designed to enhance public awareness of this pressing issue, or study its impact on your local community, please do let MegaReach know through the “Comment” section within “Contact tab within the main menu. We have researchers who are very interested in collaborating in such projects.
Profile of a model MARDiTRePer: Salil Patel, our Lead Surgical Advisor
MegaReach is open to anyone from any background. We thrive in celebrating your innate qualities, and in matching them to the particular needs of deserving others.
So what does an average MARDiTRePer look like? Well s/he could be literally anybody. Perhaps s/he may be similar to our Lead Surgical Advisor Salil Patel. Salil is a medical student as well as an active researcher winning multiple national awards and bursaries. He currently holds the position of Spinal Surgery Research Scholar at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. Salil is co-founder and past-president of Plymouth University Debating Society and is the student lead for PIRI, a scheme helping medical students get involved clinical research. He is passionate about improving access to surgical care worldwide and has recently taken over as lead coordinator of the UK Student Global Surgery National Working Group. Despite all this, Salil still finds it important to reach out to real people through MegaReach.
