Table 1.

Lancet Commission on Global Surgery surgical indicators

	Definition	Target
Preparedness
Access to timely essential surgery	The proportion of the population that can access caesarean delivery, laparotomy and treatment of open fracture (the bellwether procedures) within 2 hours.	A minimum of 80% coverage of essential surgical and anaesthesia services per country by 2030.
Specialist surgical workforce density	Number of specialist surgical, anaesthetic and obstetric physicians who are working, per 100 000 population per year.	100% of countries with at least 20 surgical, anaesthetic and obstetric physicians per 100 000 population by 2030.
Service delivery
Surgical volume	Procedures are done in an operating theatre, per 100 000 population per year.	80% of countries by 2020 and 100% of countries by 2030 tracking surgical volume; a minimum of 5000 per 100 000 population by 2030.
Perioperative mortality	All-cause death rate before discharge in patients who have undergone a procedure in an operating theatre, divided by the total number of procedures, presented as a percentage.	80% of countries by 2020 and 100% of countries by 2030 tracking perioperative mortality; in 2020, assess global data and set national targets for 2030.
Cost protection
Protection against impoverishing expenditure	The proportion of households protected against impoverishment from direct out-of-pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care.	100% protection against impoverishment from out-of-pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care by 2030.
Protection against catastrophic expenditure	The proportion of households protected against catastrophic expenditure from direct out-of-pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care.	100% protection against catastrophic expenditure from out-of-pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care by 2030.

Adapted from Meara et al.¹