Declaration of the Global Surgeon
I believe in Human Rights, principally the right to life, bodily integrity and dignity as the basis of all human coexistence and interaction.
I have entered the field of Global Surgery, so that I can use my skills for patients worldwide in strengthening their capability to realize their emotional, cognitive, and physical functionings.
I promise to contribute as practicing surgeon, obstetrician, anesthetist, nurse, allied healthcare professional, administrator, teacher, researcher, epidemiologist, policy maker, economist, medical student or in any other role.
I am guided by a deep sense of justice. Equity as an approximation guides my work, whose aim is the provision of timely access to safe quality surgery for all, whether in my home country or elsewhere.
Humility shall be my virtue enabling me to respect my patients and my colleagues within their respective culture with all its norms and belief-systems. I strive to ensure a safe clinical practice, ever consciously regarding the limits of my skills and experience.
I prepare myself not solely regarding the core surgical skills needed in the global clinic but also pertaining to the cultural sensitivity and understanding necessary for practicing medicine in a context outside my familiar circumstances.
Wherever possible I happily give proof of my skills within formal accreditation processes of my host country as part of my commitment to my host society’s political, governmental and legal structures. In return I am integrated into the local health care system and local capacity building.
The care I provide will pertain to the ethical principles laid out in the World Medical Association’s Geneva Declaration, and I always aim for the highest medical standards independent of resource limitations. I strive to find ways of making the necessary resources and skills available to every patient I treat independent of location.
If, for that purpose, I am involved in equipment procurement, I see towards sustainability and first and foremost respect recipients’ needs and wishes as well as the laws and standards of the donor and recipient countries.
Practicing surgery for me includes a critical and honest analysis of my outcomes as well as teaching my peers. In research as well as education I am always aware of power dynamics and inequities. True mutuality and dynamic roles of teacher and trainee, supervisor and assistant lead my work.
My research asks questions relevant to my patients, and results will thus directly benefit those in my care. Research and teaching always aim to make knowledge universally available and thus also further transnational collegiality.
My dedication to train and mentor the next generation of essential surgeons is not confined to the places, where surgical capacity is still scarce but also within high income environments.
Stimulating awareness of chances and challenges amongst the public and within the profession through advocacy is an essential part of my practice of Global Surgery.
My commitment to equitable surgical care globally touches the lives of many and comes with enormous rewards in terms of fulfillment, insights, and friendships between those sharing the load.
Dr. Bernward Steinhorst for the European Global Surgery Network Advocacy Group