A Venezuelan surgical resident appeals for help

I received the following email. It has been edited for length and readability.

I assume you know is happening in my country, Venezuela. Basically a communist-socialist party has taken control of the government for 20 years now and has the citizens under the worst economic crisis of South America along with one of the most important refugee situations of the continent.

I can write 300 pages about it, but I believe I’ve said enough. As you may know, EVERYTHING has gone to bad situations in this country: public services, roads, HOSPITALS, UNIVERSITIES, food shortage, lack of water and electricity, freedom of speech, and the list goes on and on.

Book review: Operation Health—Surgical Care in the Developing World

The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery recently reported that “5 billion people do not have access to safe, affordable surgical and anesthesia care when needed. Access is worst in low-income and lower-middle-income countries, where nine of ten people cannot access basic surgical care.”
This timely book, edited by Adam L. Kushner, MD, MPH who is on the faculty of both Columbia University and the Johns Hopkins and is a director of the Society of International Humanitarian Surgeons/Surgeons OverSeas (SOS), explains many of the important issues.

In 100 pages and 11 chapters, the assembled international contributors cover such diverse topics as assessing the needs of low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) worldwide, HIV, trauma, women’s health, and process improvement.

The chapters are brief, but packed with useful information most of which is based on research carried out in the field.

Each chapter is introduced by a personal vignette that highlights the importance of the work that Dr. Kushner and his colleagues have been doing.