Paediatric surgery and anaesthesia in south-western Uganda: a cross-sectional survey.

Objective: to study paediatric surgery rates in south-western Uganda, compare them to rates in England, and determine if existing surgical facilities and workforce meet World Health Organization (WHO) standards.

Methods: to obtain information on surgical facilities and workforce, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of all hospitals performing major surgery in 14 districts of south-western Uganda in 2007-2008. Using theatre logbook data, we determined the surgical rates, types of surgery performed and in-theatre surgical outcomes.