The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Global Surgery Foundation (GSF) and Harvard Medical School’s Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC) are hosting a special Online Event Series on the newly published National Surgical, Obsetrics and Anaesthesia Planning (NSOAP ) Manual.

The NSOAP Manual aims to help countries increase their capacity to deliver safe and affordable emergency and essential surgical, obstetric and anaesthesia services.

This series explores the NSOAP process through different lenses, offering stakeholders a unique opportunity to learn more about its benefits.

2nd session - 14 October, 2020 @ 3pm CET

First-hand experience in developing an NSOAP (Zambia, Pakistan, Nigeria and Tanzania)

The development of NSOAPs is a flexible process designed to address country specific needs in the context of existing health systems and priorities. To date, NSOAPs have been completed across a number of countries with unique designs and planning processes. The process, as well as the final plan, reflect the values and priorities of local and national stakeholders.

This online event will highlight the lessons learned from the experiences of several countries who have already developed an NSOAP in their unique contexts. Leveraging these insights is invaluable as many other countries are starting their own NSOAP development process.

At the end of this webinar session, participants should:

1. Identify the impact of existing healthcare policies on NSOAP development.
2. Recognise how the NSOAP process differed throughout the different countries in which it has taken place
3. Recall the key elements to ensure that NSOAPs address the broad needs of surgical, anesthesia and obstetrics stakeholders.
4. Describe the practical challenges of developing an NSOAP and the “easy wins” towards achieving success in the NSOAP development process.

This NSOAP Educational Webinar Series will feature experts from healthcare, academia, public and private sector.

Participation is open to government officials, diplomats, staff of international organizations, development practitioners, faculty members, and administrators of educational institutions.