History of Laparoscopic Surgery in the English-Speaking Caribbean and Progress Amidst a Mix of Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

This discursive paper recounts the history of laparoscopic surgery in the English-Speaking Caribbean since the first recorded procedure in 1991. We discuss the challenges faced by early laparoscopic surgeons and analyze how they seized opportunities to overcome barriers against laparoscopy. This paper is important as it can serve as a template for development of laparoscopic surgery in other low-resource areas across the globe.