The Women in T&O Surgery Scholarship Program seeks to address the shortage of women in the surgical field as globally, only 6% of trauma and orthopedic (T&O) surgeons are women. We are committed to advancing Sustainable Development Goal 5 to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”. In partnership with the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA), we will support women T&O surgeons-in-training and strengthen T&O surgical capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa across the 14 COSECSA member countries. This campaign will help increase access to surgical care for the patients who need it most. Through these training opportunities, we will contribute to advancing women in T&O surgery.
Traditional bonesetters (TBS) provide a significant proportion of primary fracture care in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sadly, however, treatments by TBS often result in serious complications, resulting in amputation, permanent disability, or death. The AO Alliance has launched clinical research studies in Ethiopia and Ghana in 2020 to estimate the incidence of catastrophic complications associated with traditional bone setting, to establish the feasibility of formal training of TBS, and their subsequent integration into the healthcare system. With these studies, the AO Alliance seeks to roll out similar projects in other countries, with the overarching goal of reducing death and disability from traditional bonesetter interventions.
In addition to educating healthcare workers in fracture care, availability of essential fracture fixation equipment and implants is critical to achieving better patient outcomes. A key issue facing global T&O surgery is the structural inefficiency preventing the timely delivery of such products. OrthoAccess is an online platform intended to facilitate access to implants and equipment in LMICs using a market-shaping approach, inspired by the success of GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance.
