A Household Survey to Evaluate Access to Surgical Care in Vanuatu

Surgical care is an integral part of any healthcare system, yet there is a paucity of data on the burden of surgical disease, surgical capacity and access to surgical services in the Pacific region. This study aimed to evaluate access to surgical care through a pilot household survey in the Vanuatu island of Efate and five of its surrounding islands.

The 2009 Vanuatu census' GPS coordinates were used to randomly select 150 rural and 150 urban households from Efate and its surrounding islands. A total of 143 urban households and 142 rural households were available for inclusion in this study. A household questionnaire was developed to evaluate access to surgical care and included information regarding household demographics, socio-economic indicators and perceived and realised barriers to accessing care. The questionnaire was administered by local health workers, and data were collected electronically.

Questionnaires were completed by 285 households. Two hundred and forty-one out of 254 (94.8%) households reported being able to access Port Vila Hospital, if required. The most commonly cited potential barriers to accessing surgical care were financial constraints (42.4%) and transport (26.4%).

Our results provide important insights into the geographic, sociocultural and economic barriers to seeking, reaching and receiving surgical care in this region of Vanuatu. Identifying specific areas and communities with poor access to care, alongside the determinants of access, will help in designing both clinical and policy interventions to improve access to surgical care.