When Surgery Is Out of Reach: New Research Highlights Gaps in Fracture Care in Rural Tanzania
A new study supported by SURGfund reveals that most patients with fractures in rural Tanzania never reach a hospital.
New data from rural Tanzania paints a stark picture of what happens when surgical care is out of reach.
95% of patients seek help from traditional bonesetters, while just 32% access hospital-based surgical care. The reasons are clear: cost, distance, and trust in traditional methods.
But the consequences are serious. More than half of patients reported a loss in work capacity, and 50% experienced a drop in income—a stark reminder that untreated trauma doesn’t just harm health, it undermines livelihoods.
Why This Matters for Surgical Systems
In places where formal orthopedic services are scarce, traditional bonesetters often fill the gap. While culturally rooted and more accessible, they rarely have the tools to treat complex fractures—leading to complications, long-term disability, and even amputation.
This research underscores the urgent need to bridge traditional and formal care systems, improving patient triage and strengthening access to safe, timely surgical care.
Driving Change Through Data & Collaboration
The Global Surgery Foundation is committed to advancing research that reveals real-world care pathways - and informing solutions that work for communities. Through SURGfund, we provided funding for the Building Bridges for Broken Bones project which aims at improving fracture care in Tanzania through a unique collaborative model.
Because surgical systems only work when people can reach them.
The manuscript, authored by Joost J. Binnerts, Thom C. C. Hendriks, Jovine Okoth, Annelise Gill-Wiehl, Kavitha Ranganathan, Anam N. Ehsan, Nkaina W. Harun, Shelly Ogoya, Nefti Bempong-Ahun, Geoffrey Ibbotson, William J. Harrison, Claude Martin Jr., Michael J. R. Edwards, Erik Hermans, Bwire M. Chirangi, has been published in the World Journal of Surgery.
You can read the full article here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wjs.12540
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Shainuni was hit by a speeding car, which resulted in fractures of her jaw and both legs. She was included into the collaborative treatment model. Read her story