Our Programmes
SWEL's work is organised around the three elements that make up any surgical system — the workers who deliver care, the patients who receive it, and the systems that hold both together.
The three programmes are not separate silos. A financing reform shapes the conditions surgical workers face; a workforce gap changes what patients can access. SWEL studies each element distinctly, but always in service of understanding the surgical ecosystem as a whole.
Surgical Workforce
This programme explores and provides reforms that support the surgical workforce, advocate for excellent training and workplace environments and infrastructure that enhances surgical care delivery.
Closing the Policy Gap in Standardized Maternity and Postnatal Support for Surgical Trainees in Kenya
Active
Women are entering medical school and the healthcare workforce at record numbers, yet they remain underrepresented in surgical specialties.
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Surgical Work & Equity Lab
Research & Policy
Perceived Access to Policy Support Among Women in Surgical Training and Practice in Kenya
Surgical Society of Kenya, 2026 — Jill Mayunga, Fridah Bosire
The percentage of female surgical trainees has increased by 24% between 2020 and 2022, but less is known about the extent of actual access to supportive policies.
READ ABSTRACTSurgical Work & Equity Lab
Research & Policy
Perceived Drivers Of Gender Equity In Global Surgery Among Female Healthcare Students In Kenya
Journal of Global Surgery (ONE), International Conference on Innovation in Global Surgery, 2025 — Jill Mayunga, Fridah Bosire
Despite advancements in surgical education, Kenya only has 2.35 surgeons per 100,000 people. This study set out to determine the factors that promote surgical specialisation among female students.
READ ABSTRACTPatient Access & Equity Programme
Promoting safe, timely, affordable and patient-centred surgical care by addressing barriers to access, amplifying patient perspectives and advancing equity in surgical outcomes.
Still a work in progress
Get in touchSurgical Systems Programme
This programme studies how surgical care is financed, governed and built into national health systems. It houses SWEL's flagship work on surgical financing, its analysis of national surgical planning, and its contributions to the data and governance infrastructure through which surgical systems are measured and improved.
Convenings and Dialogue
SWEL convenes trainees, surgeons, policymakers and advocates to shape the future of surgical training and systems across Africa.
