Safe Anaesthesia Mongolia
Country: Mongolia
Date: June 2019
Donation: £6,500
A few years ago, we read a story about how doctors in Mongolia were improving lives through safer surgery and the use of modern anaesthesia techniques. It was written by a UK-based journalist named Jane Feinmann, and when she returned home, she decided to get directly involved. She heard about some anaesthesia machines designed by a British engineering firm. They don’t require a reliable electricity or oxygen supply, making them ideal for surgery in remote places. In particular, they help treat children recovering from burns, a “common hazard in communities where open fires are part of everyday life, and which, if untreated, can cause life-changing deformity.” Here's a quick video about how they work (with some jaw-dropping drone shots of Mongolia for good measure).
Jane put out a call to see if anyone could help, and a charity, Safe Anaesthesia Worldwide, responded by donating two of these amazing pieces of kit. With the help of colleagues and friends, Jane then set up her own fundraising group, which 12 months later purchased and dispatched two more.
We figured Future Crunch might be able to help. We're sending Jane £6,500 to buy another two portable Glostavent Anaesthesia Machines, bringing the total to six.
UPDATE!
September 2019
The machines have arrived in Mongolia and have been installed by local anaesthetist, Dr Ganbold Lundeg. The new anaestheisa machines will enable essential and emergency surgical procedures in remote areas and save lives. More information in this blog post.
