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As the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting is underway in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, where top leaders and philanthropists are discussing a way forward on issues affecting the world, a South African leading non-profit organisation is one of the forces of change that officially signed the creation of the Global Surgery Foundation.

The Rali and Makentse Mampeule Foundation (RMM Foundation) is the founding donor of the Global Surgery Foundation, which in essence ensures that there is safe and affordable surgery available to all people around the world, the partnership was officially announced in Davos on the 22nd January 2020.

Stats show that the number of surgically avertable deaths are drastically more compared to HIV, malaria and TB combined.

5 Billion

The number of people without access to essential and emergency surgical care.

90%

The share of the world’s poor that lack access to safe and affordable surgical care.

30%

The share of worldwide diseases that can be treated by surgery or require the direct care of a surgeon.

30 Trillion US$

The lost economic output in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) by the year 2030 through surgical diseases.

6 times

The number of surgically avertable deaths compared to HIV, malaria and TB combined.

Speaking at the launch in Davos, Switzerland, in an official ceremony supported and attended by leaders of Brand South Africa, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and other big businesses over the world, Chairman of the RMM Foundation, Rali Mampeule said the Global Surgery Foundation partnership is so close to my heart because of a very dark history in his family where he lost a sister who died with her baby while giving birth few years ago.

“Apart from that, as we were asking ourselves some tough questions as a foundation on how we can extend a helping hand to the world, after I had engaged leaders of UNITAR, we realised that there is an urgent need for surgical assistance around the world. The opportunity to be a founding donor of the Global Surgery Foundation made sense to the foundation,” says Mampeule.

The Acting CEO of Brand South Africa, Thulisile Manzini, who attended the launch of the Global Surgery Foundation, said this is bigger than a donation being made to global health care found. “This is also about Africa taking the lead in issues affecting the world. Gone are the days where Africa and Africans are on the receiving end when people need help. A South African organisation is the founding donor of a foundation that is going to save a lot of lives. We commend the RMM Foundation for this bold step.”

The Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), also in attendance praised the RMM Foundation as the force of change that has started something that will impact lives around the world. 

Mampeule says being the founding donor of the Global Surgery Foundation is not the only work RMM Foundation does. “We’ve been blessed, over the years, with an opportunity to uplift people in the spaces of Real Estate; bringing new blood into the old vein of the industry, and in community development where we did some work with the Thabo Mbeki Foundation as an example. These just exclude work the foundations has done in a few provinces where we donate school uniforms and give bursaries to learners,” adds Mampeule.

About the Global Surgery Foundation

The GSF strategy is a multifaceted approach targeting multiple levels of the surgical care system, including research and evaluation; education and training; planning and policy development; equipment and infrastructure procurement – all with the under-pinning of a Global Surgery Fund to provide innovative and sustainable financial solutions.

The GSF will establish support mechanisms to assist governments, frontline surgical providers and NGOs in procurement of equipment and establishment of infrastructure to ensure upscaling surgical capacity. 

The GSF will partner with multiple stakeholders to facilitate educational resources and training solutions with the goal to build capacity in surgical providers. 

The GSF will establish a common platform to assist countries in the development of their NSOAP and surgical care policies, which can then be fully integrated into their National Health Strategy. 

The GSF will establish a Global Surgery Collaborative Research Hub based in Geneva, Switzerland with the purpose to facilitate cutting edge research in surgical care delivery science.

Under-pinning all the previous activities will be a Global Surgery Fund.  Through this fund, the GSF will build sustainable funding mechanisms to assist countries and frontline surgical care providers in increasing access to surgical, obstetrical and anesthesia services.

About the World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters is the foremost creative force for engaging the world's top leaders in collaborative activities to shape the global, regional and industry agendas at the beginning of each year. In this regard, the Forum's mission – improving the state of the world – guides the design and development of the Annual Meeting objectives.

Participants will come together at the Annual Meeting to address the most pressing issues on the global agenda. They will do so in an exceptional atmosphere and in the “Spirit of Davos”, featuring interdisciplinary, informal and direct interaction among peers.

Issued by DNA Brand Architects on behalf of The Rali and Makentse Mampeule Foundation