In Brief

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Let’s begin with the premise that the audience reading or perusing this monograph has an active or potential interest, experience, or curiosity regarding volunteerism in surgical care both at home and globally. Whether fueled by idealistic or realistic reasons or motives, there is in most of us the need and want to serve or give of ourselves beyond financial or ego considerations. This monograph addresses some of the major issues and concerns with respect to background information and preparatory knowledge for future endeavors.

The French Foreign Legion does not do an exhaustive background check on its recruits.¹ All they require is a present allegiance to the legion. Similarly the Jesuits traditionally seek out aspiring individuals with a nonreligious vocational background.² So too, surgical volunteers range from medical students, to residents, and to young, mid-term, senior, and retired surgeons/specialists. Whatever the motives or reasons, this monograph will certainly stimulate some of you to explore further your previous experience in this area, remain committed to your present activity, or seek out new future areas of interest in this expanding area of need and concern. James L. Cox, MD,³ probably summarized the challenge best:

We have an obligation as uniquely talented individuals to change the boundaries of our thinking, the boundaries of our influence, and the boundaries of our efforts. As thoracic surgeons, we are not meant to bend history itself, but we can work to change a small portion of events within our own sphere, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of our generation of surgeons.

It is clear that volunteer, humanitarian efforts are not a new concept. Embedded in most cultures, religions, and societies is a notion to help others in need. Americans have traditionally been generous in this regard, balancing the practical rugged individualism, self-reliance mentality with the care and compassion that has been demonstrated consistently throughout the young history of this remarkable country.

Adjusting and participating in the globalization movement is a major challenge for the United States in the 21st century. Being the reigning global super power, we have a central and leading role in shaping what the entire world will look like and act like from the social, political, economic, environmental, and demographic perspectives. This is not in deference to our role in caring for and attending to our own domestic problems or challenges.

We have advanced considerably in our global outlook from the prevailing attitude following World War II. A notable example of the fears of the United States following World War II were embodied in the influence of reigning diplomats of the time, like George Keenan⁴:

We have about 50% of the world’s wealth, but only 6.3% of its population…. In this situation we cannot fail to be the object of envy and resentment. Our real task in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships which will permit us to maintain this position of disparity…. To do so, we will have to dispense with all sentimentality and daydreaming; and our intention will have to be concentrated everywhere on our immediate national objectives… we should cease to talk about vague… unreal objectives such as human rights, the raising of living standards, and democratization. The day is not far off when we are going to have to deal in straight power concepts.

This was the preamble to the Cold War, which lasted more than 50 years and alienated the United States from both the second world (USSR) and many of the third world (nonaligned) nations. Yet the American faith-based missionaries, as well as small government programs, like the visionary Peace Corps concept (www.peacecorps.gov/), kept the voluntary, global agenda alive.

Crone,⁵ 14 years ago, heralded the notion of global health interdependence, illustrated by grass-roots initiatives, or a sort of bottom-up strategy. He stressed that the developed economies need the emerging economies, and vice versa. Interdependence is an easier concept to grasp than independent/dependent. The “polder concept” illustrates this further. Diamond,⁶ in his book Collapse, describes the polders as land reclaimed from the sea in the Netherlands. Everyone must get along, rich/poor, friend/enemy, to keep the water out of the polder. Everyone is down in the polders together.

The United States (bilateral) and other developed nations, along with the United Nations (UN) (multilateral, 191 member nations) and subordinate agencies, like the World Health Organization (WHO), have been very cognizant of the global inequalities and are working through a myriad of initiatives to address the specific area of health care. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as developed by J.D. Sachs and the United Nations address the primordial causes of most health problems—poverty, as well as specific diseases, and health areas like maternal and child health.⁷ This Millennium Project, and the associated project task force on ensuring environmental sustainability, stresses the protection of the environment as an essential aspect of health and good living.⁸ Climatic changes and disruption of ecosystems are targeted areas of justifiable concern.

The United States has been generous as the largest overall foreign aid donor (yet one of the lowest in terms of percent of gross domestic product [GPD]). Other emerging economies like China are working within their own country to create a more “harmonious society.” The recent meeting of the Communist Party of China established the 11th 5-year plan to extend health care services to the 80% of the population in dire need (GDP per capita $1270; world average $5500).⁹ Adding more hospital beds (2.4/1000 population) and doctors (1.5/1000 population) is part of that initiative. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have traditionally been and continue to be the major tactical force (boots on the ground) to bring health access and care to those in need both at home and abroad. This NGO movement is but an extension or continuation of the long tradition of faith-based initiatives that brought religion, education, and health care to mission outposts all over the world. The growing global disparity and equity issues of health care are gradually being addressed, particularly in medical education and training. As an example, Farmer and colleagues¹⁰ report on a novel concept of creating a global health equity residency at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Residencies in medicine will include public health exposure, thus trying to bridge the gap between preventive and curative strategies, and create a more organized, integrated approach to health care, stressing cooperation and collaboration. Similarly, in surgery, several surgical programs are offering rural surgery training to meet the specific needs of rural America, which can be equally applied to efforts abroad (eg, the Mithoefer Center for Rural Surgery).¹¹

The background information presented in the realm of globalization provides a broad framework from which to establish the concepts, role, and opportunities for volunteerism or humanitarian activity, with specific information/knowledge related to surgery. From this the individual surgeon can reflect and decide where he/she/they can fit in.

The global burden of disease in terms of mortality and morbidity are divided into communicable and noncommunicable causes. The present emphasis on infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and the looming threats of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and virulent avian influenza (H5N1) have overshadowed the predominant chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and mental disorders. Both areas must be approached with a more balanced strategy and emphasis.

In this era of globalization the developed countries are not immune to the old diseases like tuberculosis and these new emerging diseases. It is in this area that volunteer, humanitarian efforts play a large role. Until such time that the balance of economic growth allows healthcare initiatives to catch up in a sort of trickle-down modality, it is vital to do what we can to alleviate the plight of those in need, be it in the United States or abroad. Let us emphasize that volunteer activity is vital and necessary in our own country, given the increasing number of uninsured Americans, and the subsequent decrease in access to affordable health care services, be they basic preventive modalities like vaccination programs, maternal health, or curative care, especially advanced surgical procedures.¹²

Volunteerism and humanitarian efforts are embedded in the Judeo-Christian ethic.¹³ Whether coaching a Little League team or venturing off on a dangerous medical mission with Medecins Sans Frontiers (www.msf.org; Doctors Without Borders), American surgeons have been generous with their time and money. The emergence of “The Good Samaritans,” like Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono, has put global issues, foreign aid, philanthropy, and volunteer activity on center stage.¹⁴

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has also taken note of volunteer activities. The establishment of the volunteer initiative, Operation Giving Back (OGB) (www.operationgivingback.org),¹⁵ is an attempt to meet the need and demand of current or prospective volunteers:

This initiative will provide the resources they need to find a surgical volunteer opportunity that best fits their individual talents, interests, beliefs, and lifestyle.¹⁵

Clearly there is an interest in voluntary activity. Two thirds of the respondents (or 300 ACS fellows) to an ACS survey asked to be placed on a mailing list of surgeons interested in volunteerism.¹⁵ Similarly a questionnaire of the American Association of Thoracic Surgery (AATS) showed a positive response to volunteer activity, with 182 of the 500 membership responding with an interest or experience in volunteer activity.¹⁶

Despite the generosity of the developed economies like the United States, there is more that can and should be done to alleviate the imbalance of health care both at home and abroad. Americans spend more than $1.5 trillion dollars per year on health ($5440 per person).¹⁷ This consumes more than 15% of the gross national product (GNP). In a recent report of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS) this has risen to 16% of GDP in 2005 (http://www.cms.hhs.gov/nationalhealthexpendituredata/downloads/proj2005.pdf). In 2006 there will be an increase of health care spending by 7.3% to more than $2 trillion. This is estimated to rise to 20% by 2015. Yet less than 1% of that amount is spent on foreign aid. More important than money is money well spent, and people to effect that effort. Giving of one’s time is probably more effective than money alone. Such is the overall purpose of this article.

Once one has expressed an interest in volunteer, humanitarian activity, and having a broad overview of the present state of global health affairs, the next step is to seek out knowledge and information regarding opportunities. Then one can make a realistic decision, based on personal and professional constraints, as to how to proceed and get involved. Just as in any activity, it requires careful thought and consideration to match one’s skills/ability to the wide range of opportunities available.