OBJECTIVEIn 2000, the global density of neurosurgeons was estimated at 1 per 230,000 population, which remains the most recent estimate of the global neurosurgeon workforce density. In 2004, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that there were 33,193 neurosurgeons worldwide, including trainees. There have been no updates to this estimate in the past decade. Moreover, only WHO region–level granularity regarding neurosurgeon distribution exists; country-level estimates are limited. The neurosurgery workforce is a crucial component to meeting the growing burden of neurosurgical diseases, which not only represent high absolute incidences and prevalences, but also represent correspondingly high disability-adjusted life years affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Combining the lack of knowledge about the availability of the neurosurgical workforce and the increasing demand for neurosurgical services underscores the need for a system of neurosurgical workforce density surveillance.METHODSThis study involved 3 key steps: 1) global survey/literature review to obtain the number of working neurosurgeons per WHO-recognized country, 2) regression to interpolate any missing data, and 3) calculation of workforce densities and comparison to available historical data by WHO region.RESULTSData for 198 countries were collected (158) or interpolated (40). The global total number of neurosurgeons was estimated at 49,940. Overall, neurosurgeon density ranged from 0 to 58.95 (standardized to per 1,000,000 population) with a median of 3.56 (IQR 0.29–8.26). Thirty-three countries were found to have no neurosurgeons (zero). The highest density, 58.95, was in Japan, where 7495 neurosurgeons are taking care of a population of 127,131,800.CONCLUSIONSIn 2015, the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery estimated that 143 million additional surgical procedures are needed in low- and middle-income countries each year, and a subsequent study revealed that approximately 15% of those surgical procedures are neurosurgical. Based on our results, we can conclude that there are approximately 49,940 neurosurgeons currently, worldwide. The availability of neurosurgeons appears to have increased in all geographic regions over the past decade, with Southeast Asia experiencing the greatest growth. Such remarkable expansion should be assessed to determine factors that could play a role in other regions where the acceleration of growth would be beneficial.

Background Improvement in the surgical system requires intersectoral coordination. To achieve this, the development of National Surgical, Obstetric, and Anaesthesia Plans (NSOAPS) has been recommended. One of the first steps of NSOAP development is situational analysis. On the ground situational analyses can be resource intensive and often duplicative. In 2016, the Ministry of Health of Tanzania issued a directive for the creation of an NSOAP. This systematic review aimed to assess if a comprehensive situational analysis could be achieved with existing data. These data would be used for evidence-based priority setting for NSOAP development and streamline any additional data collection needed. Methods A systematic literature review of scientific literature, grey literature, and policy documents was performed as per PRISMA. Extraction was performed for all articles relating to the five NSOAPS domains: infrastructure, service delivery, workforce, information management, and financing. Results 1819 unique articles were generated. Full-text screening produced 135 eligible articles; 46 were relevant to surgical infrastructure, 53 to workforce, 81 to service delivery, 11 to finance, and 15 to information management. Rich qualitative and quantitative data were available for each domain. Conclusions Despite little systematic data collection around SOA, a thorough literature review provides significant evidence which often have a broader scope, longer timeline and better coverage than can be achieved through snapshot-stratified samples of directed on the ground assessments. Evidence from the review was used during stakeholder discussion to directly inform the NSOAP priorities in Tanzania.

Despite emergency and essential surgery and anaesthesia care being recognised as a part of Universal Health Coverage, 5 billion people worldwide lack access to safe, timely and affordable surgery and anaesthesia care. In Tanzania, 19% of all deaths and 17 % of disability-adjusted life years are attributable to conditions amenable to surgery. It is recommended that countries develop and implement National Surgical, Obstetric and Anesthesia Plans (NSOAPs) to systematically improve quality and access to surgical, obstetric and anaesthesia (SOA) care across six domains of the health system including (1) service delivery, (2) infrastructure, including equipment and supplies, (3) workforce, (4) information management, (5) finance and (6) Governance. This paper describes the NSOAP development, recommendations and lessons learnt from undertaking NSOAP development in Tanzania.The NSOAP development driven by the Ministry of Health Community Development Gender Elderly and Children involved broad consultation with over 200 stakeholders from across government, professional associations, clinicians, ancillary staff, civil society and patient organisations. The NSOAP describes time-bound, costed strategic objectives, outputs, activities and targets to improve each domain of the SOA system. The final NSOAP is ambitious but attainable, reflects on-the-ground priorities, aligns with existing health policy and costs an additional 3% of current healthcare expenditure.Tanzania is the third country to complete such a plan and the first to report on the NSOAP development in such detail. The NSOAP development in Tanzania provides a roadmap for other countries wishing to undertake a similar NSOAP development to strengthen their SOA system.