We are pleased to invite you to register for the upcoming Mercy Ships and Operation Smile co-hosted side event at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva
Strengthening Health Systems for Universal Health Coverage: Implementing Surgical Care
21 May 2025 at 17:00 CEST
Hotel Warwick,
Geneva, Switzerland & Livestream
A networking reception will follow the panel discussion.
The registration is closed except for journalists.
Registration
Please fill out the form to register for the livestream.Â
Please note that while registration for in-person participation has closed, journalists are still welcome to attend.
The reason why
SDG Target 3.8 seeks to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC)—ensuring financial protection, access to essential health services, and affordable, safe, and effective medicines. But this vision will remain incomplete without the integration of Surgical, Obstetric, and Anesthesia (SOA) care into national health systems.
For over 5 billion people, these services are simply out of reach. Every year, more than 100 million additional surgical procedures are needed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to prevent avoidable deaths and disability. Behind these numbers are people with treatable conditions suffering. Health is not a privilege, it is a human right including timely, safe, and affordable surgical care.
This global crisis highlights a hard truth: direct medical services alone are not enough. To close the surgical gap, we must invest in education, workforce training, infrastructure, and strong advocacy.
The NGOs Operation Smile and Mercy Ships are co-organizing this World Health Assembly (WHA) side event in order to raise the voices of healthcare specialists from LMICs whose frontline experience is essential to shaping sustainable, equitable solutions. Drawing on their expertise in surgical system strengthening, participants will explore key themes including policy, governance, financing, research, and capacity building. The event will spotlight innovative, context-driven strategies to integrate surgical services into national health systems.
While our NGOs provide direct medical services, education, and training, transformative change will require coordinated, collective action. Governments, multilateral organizations, professional societies, NGOs, the private sector, and academia must unite to confront this urgent global health challenge.
Livestream of 78th WHA Side Event
Our guest speakers
We are delighted to present our panelists who will discuss the challenges and opportunities to bridge the gap to surgical care across the globe.
Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh
Minister of Health
Ghana
PhD, MD Nguyen Trong Khoa
Deputy Director of Medical Service
Administration Department
Vietnam, MoH
Dr. Barnabas Alayande
General Surgeon
Assistant Professor of Surgery
University of Global Health Equity, Rwanda
Dr. Carolina Haylock-Loor
Anaesthesiologist and Critical Care physician
President-Elect of the WFSA
San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Dr. Teri Reynolds
Unit Head, Clinical Services and Systems Unit
WHO Geneva, Switzerland
Prof. Emmanuel Makasa
Orthopaedist and Trauma Surgeon
Executive Director of WITSSURG & CSHR
University of Lukasa, Zambia
Dr. Neema Kaseje
Pediatric Surgeon
Founder of Surgical Systems Research Group
Kisumu, Kenya
Prof. Faustin Ntirenganya
General and Onco-Plastic Surgeon
Head of Surgery Department
University of Rwanda
Agenda
The organizing NGOs
Operation Smile
Operation Smile is a leading global nonprofit bridging the gap in access to essential surgeries and health care, starting with cleft surgery and comprehensive care. We provide medical expertise, training, mentorship, research and care through our dedicated staff and volunteers around the world, working alongside local governments, nonprofits and health systems, and supported by our generous donors and corporate partners.Â
Mercy Ships
Founded in 1978, Mercy Ships is an international medical nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing access to healthcare in developing nations. Through the deployment of the world’s two largest civilian hospital ships, the Africa Mercy and the Global Mercy¸ Mercy Ships offers holistic support to developing nations striving to make healthcare accessible for all, including life-transforming surgeries and education and training for medical professionals.
