Los Angeles Times: The sustainable development goals and surgery: Is a ‘moon shot’ the answer?
John Meara, Kletjian professor of global surgery at Harvard Medical School and co-chair of the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery, and Nakul Raykar, chief fellow of the program in global surgery and social change at Harvard Medical School

“…The past century in global health has taught us that we do not need to travel to the moon to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. We need to invest in strong health systems, and surgery and anesthesia care represent a major cross-cutting foundation for these systems. The goals will only be possible when ministries of health prioritize integration of surgery and anesthesia within national health plans, and when international funding agencies switch from vertical disease-based funding to funding that strengthens health systems that include surgery and anesthesia, and when the World Bank and the World Health Organization make a commitment to tracking indicators related to surgery. The future of the Sustainable Development Goals depends on including surgery and anesthesia as partners in health care at every level” (3/8).