What does "safe surgery" mean?

What does it mean to establish "safe" surgical care? The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery explains that "all people should have access to safe, high-quality surgical and anesthesia care with financial protection when needed."

For that to happen, people must be able to identify when they need help, physically (and financially) be able to access the care they need, and then receive high-quality care from an appropriately trained medical professional in a medical facility with the right equipment and supplies. Barriers in each of these required elements are known as the "Three Delays"--delays in making the decision to seek care, delays in the accessibility of care, and delays in the provision of quality care once inside a healthcare system. Together, the Three Delays create the circumstances in which preventable deaths happen.

SAFE Surgery will take a comprehensive approach to these Three Delays: improving demand for care, improving the accessibility of care, and improving the quality of care.