An e-learning platform is being hailed a success in addressing the gap around the globe in training surgeons of the future.
A new report reveals that the United Nations Global Surgery Learning Hub (SURGhub) has connected with a record 19,000 healthcare workers across 190 countries in just two years, meeting soaring demand in underserved regions.
These areas include low-resource and conflict-affected regions.
The significant global gap in surgical education leaves 93% of people in sub-Saharan Africa and millions more worldwide without access to safe surgical care.
This is a crisis driven in part by a severe shortage of trained surgeons, anaesthetists, obstetricians and nurses, and worsened by a persistent lack of accessible, affordable, and context-appropriate training resources.
It’s an educational gap that SURGhub was specifically created to bridge when it was launched in June 2023.
By prioritising low-bandwidth delivery, free access, and culturally relevant content, SURGhub is dismantling longstanding barriers of cost, geography, internet access, and language, demonstrating how digital tools can democratize education even in the most challenging environments.
The platform now hosts over 100 educational courses, contributed by 27 international organisations, with content quality maintained by more than 200 volunteer experts. The impact is particularly evident in countries where surgical education is often inaccessible.
At least 1,700 learners are based in conflict-affected regions, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen, and Palestine, with thousands more in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
Looking ahead, the SURGhub team is focused on scaling this success to meet an even greater need. With more than one million healthcare professionals worldwide lacking access to adequate surgical training, the demand is enormous.
Plans are underway to expand the platform’s educational offerings – in volume and diversity – and to introduce personalised training tailored to learners’ needs. Expanding content in languages other than English is also a priority.
Eric O’Flynn, lead author of the report, and Programme Director of Education, Training and Advocacy in the Institute of Global Surgery, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, said: ‘SURGhub proves that with the right partnerships and the right technology, we can break down barriers that have held back surgical education for generations. Now the task is to take this further so lifesaving teams, regardless of where they are based, have the tools they need to deliver safe surgical care.’
