The Groote Schuur Hospital Trust (GSH Trust), in collaboration with Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of Cape Town's Surgical Society, has just announced the launch of the Emergency Fund for Emergency Surgery (EFES) project. This will allow the hospital to add 70 emergency theatre lists over the course of one year and help alleviate the backlog caused by having to deal with emergency cases caused by violent crime. Lester Kiewit speaks to Professor Lydia Cairncross, Professor and Head of Department of Surgery at the University of Cape Town/Groote Schuur Hospital Academic Complex.