The five conditions selected are common congenital or acquired neonatal and paediatric surgical conditions with low morbidity and mortality in HICs. Consequently surgical interventions for these conditions carry high avertable DALYs and cost-effectiveness ratios, as saving the life of a neonate or child with minimal long-term disability can permit a lifetime of labour and income for their family and their country's economy. Limited, mostly retrospective, individual institutional studies suggest significantly poorer outcomes of these conditions in SSA.