Financing surgical, obstetric, anaesthesia, and trauma care in the Asia–Pacific region: proceedings

Surgical, obstetric, and anaesthesia care saves lives, prevents disability, promotes economic prosperity, and is a fundamental human right. Session two of the three-part virtual meeting series on Strategic Planning to Improve Surgical, Obstetric, Anaesthesia, and Trauma Care in the Asia–Pacific Region discussed financing strategies for surgical care. During this session, participants made a robust case for investing in surgical care given its cost-effectiveness, macroeconomic benefits, and contribution to health security and pandemic preparedness. Funding for surgical system strengthening could arise from both domestic and international sources. Numerous strategies are available for mobilising funding for surgical care, including conducive macroeconomic growth, reprioritisation of health within government budgets, sector-specific domestic revenue, international financing, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of health budgets, and innovative financing. A wide range of funders recognised the importance of investing in surgical care and shared their currently funded projects in surgical, obstetric, anaesthesia, and trauma care as well as their funding priorities. Advocacy efforts to mobilise funding for surgical care to align with the existing funder priorities, such as primary health care, maternal and child health, health security, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has constricted the fiscal space for surgical care, it has also brought unprecedented attention to health. Short-term investment in critical care, medical oxygen, and infection prevention and control as a part of the COVID-19 response must be leveraged to generate sustained strengthening of surgical systems beyond the pandemic.