Launch of RCS International Strategy 2016-2020

In 2015, the publication of the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery focused the attention of the global surgical and healthcare community on the problems facing the least-developed countries.

In response to this, we decided to address global surgery more directly and to build upon the existing outreach of our programmes. Overseas members already constitute around a quarter of our membership and we also reach out with our examinations, our partners who deliver RCS courses under licence, the International Surgical Training Programme, our research partnerships and our accreditation services.

Surgeons have long given their skills and experience in the service of surgery in resource-poor settings, often in conflict zones or disaster areas. Our new international strategy sets out our ambition over the next four years to encourage and channel that resource towards specific projects, through partnering with healthcare institutions overseas and building local capacity in ways that are context sensitive and sustainable. A different strand of the strategy will explore improving surgical care in the emerging economies of the Middle East and Gulf states – for example, on a paid-services basis.

RCS fellows and members are key to the success of the strategy, because of the surgical expertise that they can deploy on projects through partners in low and middle income countries (LMICs). They are equally important as our eyes and ears in LMICs and other countries, advising the RCS on areas of surgical need or developmental opportunity.

Read the strategy to learn more about the work we’ve been doing and our international priorities.

If you have any questions or wish to get involved with our international work please email us at internationalteam@rcseng.ac.uk.