Advocacy

Spreading awareness of the neglected epidemic of injuries in LMICs

Communicable diseases often dominate global and national health agendas, attracting a lot of attention and funding. Injuries, despite causing 32% more deaths than HIV, malaria and TB worldwide, receive little attention and scarce funding. Our advocacy efforts aim to elevate injury-related death and disability to the level of priority similar to communicable diseases on both global and national health agendas.

Collaborating for success is in the DNA of AO Alliance

Solutions used in high-income countries for fracture treatment can be detrimental in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). That is why we focus on simple and appropriate fracture care training that is customized to meet specific regional needs and conditions. We developed specific fracture care education programs for both nonoperative and operative care, tailored appropriately for LMICs. Through these programs, we hope to raise awareness of the importance of proper fracture care among healthcare professionals and the public, including children.

We believe establishing alliances with like-minded organizations will help to further our cause to promote and improve the care for the injured. Through this union, we are better positioned to advocate for the world to become aware of this neglected epidemic in LMICs. We participated in the Davos Fracture Care Consultation Event and Emerging Markets Forum (EMF) in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

Emerging Markets Forum (EMF) 2017

Our participation at EMF 2017 shed light on the unmet needs in trauma and fracture care to the government and corporate leaders from around the world. Led by AOA Board Chair Dr Rolf Jeker, we managed to raise awareness, calling for more action and assistance in funding to address this silent epidemic and care for the injured. Our presence at EMF 2017 reflects our continuous commitment to bridging gaps between countries through knowledge sharing, policy discussion and private-sector engagement with the common goal of sustainable improvement in fracture care.

Davos Fracture Care Consultation Event 2016

We hosted a global fracture care consultation event in Davos, Switzerland. The goal was to agree on strategies to draw greater attention to affordable and sustainable improvements in global fracture care services in developing countries. This consultation involved 25 major stakeholders, including leading experts, orthopedic associations, the World Health Organization (WHO) and government representatives. It sought to establish a collaborative network of stakeholders aligned in their approach to mobilizing decision makers and committing to a shared strategy.