Safer Surgery and Anesthesia

Five out of every seven people in the world do not have access to safe surgery and anesthesia

In the regions where Lifebox works, nine in every ten people cannot access basic surgical and anesthesia care.

One third of human disease requires surgical treatment. Surgical care can treat a wide variety of conditions, from a lifesaving cesarean section or cancer treatment, to injury and infection.

Yet every year, 4.2 million people die within thirty days of surgery – the greatest contributor to death worldwide after heart disease and stroke. Millions more suffer from complications and morbidities. Improving access to timely, quality, and affordable surgical and anesthesia care for all is an essential component of global health.

Lifebox was founded to tackle the global crisis of unsafe surgery.

Founded by the same individuals that created the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist, Lifebox works to make surgery and anesthesia safer for every patient, every time through tools, training, and partnerships.

Find out more.

Investing in surgical services is affordable, saves lives, and promotes economic growth. Universal health coverage and the health aspirations set out in the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved without ensuring that surgical and anesthesia care is truly accessible and safe.

  • 17 million

    lives are lost worldwide every year

  • 1/3

    of the global burden of disease requires surgery

  • 1/4

    of people who have surgery will face financial catastrophe

"As a surgeon, it is always heartbreaking when a child dies during surgery. Knowing that had they been born in a different place they would have had access to the necessary care is a difficult burden to bear. We desperately need to focus on safe pediatric surgical care."
Professor Miliard Derbew, pediatric surgeon, Rwanda, Lifebox Global Governance Council member
Our Work

Our Work

Lifebox works to make surgery safer for every patient, every time.

Find out how
“For the first time in history, you’re more likely to die of a surgically treatable condition than an infectious disease. It is critical that we close the gap for the 5 billion people who don’t have access to safe surgery. The magic of Lifebox is that we are creating a movement, making safer surgery possible for patients everywhere and creating a better system as a whole.”
Dr. Atul Gawande, Lifebox Co-founder

Reference: ‘Global Surgery 2030: evidence and solutions for achieving health, welfare, and economic development’ THE LANCET COMMISSIONS | VOLUME 386, ISSUE 9993, P569-624, AUGUST 08, 2015 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60160-X

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