Advocacy for sporting injury prevention and care

Abstract

The duties and responsibilities of orthopaedic surgeons obliges us to be an advocate on multiple levels within our society. The American Medical Association stated in 2009 that ‘Physicians must advocate for the social, economic, educational, and political changes that ameliorate suffering and contribute to human wellbeing’. In our troubled South African society, exacerbated by the current Covid-19 crisis, our advocacy is needed even more than ever. We should already be advocates for transformation/diversity, alleviation of hunger, access to healthcare, the eradication of the scourge of gender-based violence, reduction of road deaths and gunshots, among others.