Poor resource setting hindering surgeries based on Indonesian general surgeon competencies in West Timor, Indonesia

Background: A surgeon is trained and educated to do a wide-range of surgeries but some surgeries may not materialize due to lack of supporting facilities or other essentials. Our objective is to provide an insight of what type of surgery that can or cannot be done in a poor resource setting in West Timor, Indonesia. Methods: Ours is a cross-sectional and qualitative study conducted in the only general hospital in each district town: Soe (TTS), Kefamenanu (TTU), and Betun General Hospital (Malaka). The data were collected from the surgeons in each district. We listed whether the surgeries in the Indonesian surgeon competencies can or cannot be done in the district public hospitals and we interviewed the surgeons about the facilities lacking in their hospitals. Result: From a total of 184 surgeries in the competency list, the percentage of surgeries that cannot be done in Soe was 38.59% (f=71), Kefa 20.11% (f=37), and Betun 30.43% (f=56). The figures included some emergency surgeries unavailable in three hospitals. Conclusion: Poor resources hindered the surgeons from delivering the services they were trained for.</p