Delivering urological humanitarian aid to countries with greater need has been provided by urologists associated with British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) Urolink over the last 30 years. Urolink has realised the need to understand where that need is geographically, what tangible help is required, and how assistance can be delivered in the most ethically appropriate way. The World Bank stratification of countries by per capita gross national income has helped in the identification of low-come countries or lower-middle-income countries (LMICs), the vast majority of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. The medical and socioeconomic needs of those country’s populations, which constitute 17% of the global community, are substantially different from that required in higher income countries. More than 40% of sub-Saharan Africa’s population is aged <14 years, it has a substantially reduced life expectancy, which influences the type of pathologies seen, and perinatal complications are a major cause of morbidity for both mother and child. There is a significant problem with the availability of medical care in these countries and almost a third of global deaths have been attributed to the lack of access to emergency and elective surgery. Urologically, the main conditions demanding the attention of the very few available urologists are congenital anomalies, benign prostatic hypertrophy, urolithiasis, urethral stricture, and pelvic cancer. The management of these conditions is often substantially different from that in the UK, being limited by a lack of personnel, equipment, and access to geographically relevant guidelines appropriate to the healthcare environment. Assisting LMICs to develop sustainable urological services can be helped by understanding the local needs of linked institutions, establishing trusting and durable relationships with partner centres and by providing appropriate education that can be perpetuated, and disseminated, across a region of need.

中文翻译：

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了解低收入国家的需求：泌尿科医生如何提供帮助

在过去 30 年中，与英国泌尿外科医生协会 (BAUS) Urolink 相关的泌尿科医生一直在向有更大需求的国家提供泌尿科人道主义援助。Urolink 已经意识到有必要了解这种需求在地理上的位置，需要哪些切实的帮助，以及如何以最合乎道德的方式提供帮助。世界银行按人均国民总收入对国家进行分层有助于确定低收入国家或中低收入国家（LMIC），其中绝大多数位于撒哈拉以南非洲。这些国家人口的医疗和社会经济需求占全球社会的 17%，与高收入国家的需求大不相同。撒哈拉以南非洲超过 40% 的人口年龄小于 14 岁，预期寿命大大缩短，这会影响所见疾病的类型，围产期并发症是母亲和儿童发病的主要原因。这些国家的医疗服务存在严重问题，全球近三分之一的死亡归因于缺乏急诊和择期手术。在泌尿外科，需要极少数泌尿科医生关注的主要疾病是先天性异常、良性前列腺肥大、尿石症、尿道狭窄和盆腔癌。由于缺乏人员、设备、并获得适合医疗保健环境的地理相关指南。通过了解相关机构的当地需求、与合作伙伴中心建立信任和持久的关系以及提供可以在需要的地区长期存在和传播的适当教育，可以帮助帮助 LMIC 发展可持续的泌尿科服务。