About Global Anaesthesia Development Partnerships
Global Anaesthesia Development Partnerships (GADP) creates sustainable partnerships with Low and Middle Income Countries to help train and support a specialist anaesthetic workforce. Within this global community there is a common goal to deliver high quality, safe anaesthetic care.
Why We Partner With Low and Middle Income Countries
The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery (LCoGS) states that in low and lower-middle income countries 9 out of 10 people do not have access to basic surgical care. Significantly, it is also these countries that are seeing a transition of their burden of disease from infectious diseases (HIV, malaria, tuberculosis) to diseases requiring surgery, such as road traffic collisions, cancer and cardiovascular disease. There is an urgent need for safe surgical and anaesthetic care in these countries to try and meet demand and reduce this burden of disease.
9 out of 10 people in low and lower-middle income countries do not have access to basic surgical care
A fundamental component of access to safe surgery is the presence of a specialist physician who is trained to prepare patients for surgery, deliver anaesthesia, provide effective and appropriate pain relief and care for critically unwell patients. These physicians are anaesthetists. Anaesthetists also oversee the delivery of anaesthesia by nurse anaesthetists and clinical officers. There is a huge shortage of anaesthetists, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. In order to improve patient safety the LCoGS has set a goal that all countries should have 20 Physician Anaesthesia Providers (PAPs) per 100,000 population by 2030. To put that into perspective, in our two current partner countries, Zambia has 0.49 PAPs per 100,000 population and Ethiopia has 0.05 PAPs per 100,000 population.
Zambia 0.49 PAPs per 100,000 population
Ethiopia 0.05 PAPs per 100,000 population
Training more anaesthetists via nationally recognised specialist anaesthesia training programs is essential. In order for these training programs to be effective and sustainable, anaesthetists must also ensure effective leadership and management of anaesthesia departments, a huge undertaking on current senior anaesthetists. GADP provides support to Low and Middle Income countries to help develop their anaesthesia services, clinically and by supporting the management of their departments.
GADP Aims
To support the provision of safe anaesthesia, with particular emphasis on poorly resourced settings, by:
- Advocacy for better provision of high quality, safe anaesthetic care
- Supporting the training and mentorship of anaesthesia providers:
- Face to face by in-country teaching. This includes clinical sessions in theatre and training sessions involving critical incident simulation sessions and classroom teaching.
- Remotely by the delivery of teaching programs via online collaboration tools
- Improving the quality and governance of anaesthesia services
- Promoting and supporting research by local physicians
GADP Aims
To support the provision of safe anaesthesia, with particular emphasis on poorly resourced settings, by:
- Advocacy for better provision of high quality, safe anaesthetic care
- Supporting the training and mentorship of anaesthesia providers:
- Face to face by in-country teaching. This includes clinical sessions in theatre and training sessions involving critical incident simulation sessions and classroom teaching.
- Remotely by the delivery of teaching programs via online collaboration tools
- Improving the quality and governance of anaesthesia services
- Promoting and supporting research by local physicians
How We Partner With Low and Middle Income Countries
We undertake our work via the operation of a number of nation-specific development programs, with a strong emphasis on partnership and long-term engagement. We aim to have lasting and sustainable impact on the provision of safe anaesthetic care in under-resourced settings.
Our model of long-term commitment and integration of the program into local healthcare delivery means that multiple aspects of development can be supported. We do this in a number of ways:
- Clinical fellows live in the program country for a period of typically 3-12 months. The fellows are usually registrars or residents in their home country and are clinically and educationally supported by local and remote Consultants.
- Visiting Consultants provide short-term senior support and guidance. This may focus on a sub-specialty area such as obstetrics, intensive care or regional anaesthesia.
- Since the COVID pandemic we have a well-established, remotely led and delivered teaching programs for both EADP and ZADP.
- An active body of Trustees and Committee Members who are fundamental in providing support, guidance and networking opportunities to our partners.
Meet The Team
GADP was created and continues to be guided by a dedicated and diverse team of individuals with a shared desire to improve global access to safe anaesthesia care.
Read Our 2022 Impact Report
We are delighted to share with you our latest ZADP Impact Report celebrating the achievements and learning of 2022. The report showcases how we continue to navigate challenges to build safer anaesthetic care in Zambia.