Creating a sustainable model of spine care in underserved communities in Botswana
As identified in the Global Burden of Disease report (2012), spine disorders present an enormous burden on individuals, their families, communities and societies and are the leading cause of disability worldwide. In Botswana, the burden of low back pain has been estimated to be the 5th leading cause of disability adjusted life years (DALYS) in 2013 and neck and back pain combined is ranked as the number 1 cause of years lived with disability (YLDs), increasing from the third position in 1990 to the first position in 2013. In the developing world the burden of spine disorders is expected to be higher than in high income countries; there is a critical lack of access to patient-centred, evidence based spine care in low income countries due to poor prioritization and integration of spine services and lack of available trained health workforce to manage these conditions.
Visionary leadership and reaching out ...