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Millions Injured in the Developing World
Severe fractures occur daily throughout the developing world as a result
of road traffic accidents, violence, and disasters. Many victims are too
poor to afford surgical implants. Local surgeons often have only traction
or casting available to treat complex fractures. They watch in frustration
as their patients lay in traction for months, often with poor results.
SIGN’s mission is to support surgeons in the developing nations by providing
them with training and modern equipment so they can provide immediate surgical
treatment to their patients. As a result, surgeons can treat more patients in a
timely manner, and patients are soon able to walk and return to work to feed and
care for their families. Learn about the SIGN Story
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Did You Know?...
Trauma is one of the major killers of the world, ranked with malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS.
And millions more are injured each year as a result of trauma.
Injury Statistics
- 90% of all injuries occur in developing nations.
- For each person killed by trauma, 3 to 8 more are permanently disabled by trauma.
- About 5 million people die from trauma each year, more or less the same as malaria, TB, and HIV/AIDS combined.
- Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a leading cause of traumatic injury. Each year 1.2 million are killed in RTAs and 20 to 50 million more are injured.
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Restoring Hope in Kenya
Recent turbulence in Kenya resulted in many poor in need of trauma care.
Thanks to the talented and compassionate SIGN surgeons working within Kenya, many patients were able to receive
immediate treatment for their fractures.
With the addition of Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi in 2007, the number of SIGN programs in Kenya reached ten.
Programs in Kenya continue to be very successful, serving nearly 400 patients a year. That number is growing.
More applications are being received from hospitals also hoping to provide modern surgical implants and treatment
to their poor patients. Read Kenya’s program profile.
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SIGN (Surgical Implant Generation Network)
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More than 200 hospitals in 48 developing countries. 4,000 SIGN surgeons have treated more than 70,000 patients since 1999.
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