PHOTO: Rosemary Mugwe, KidsOR Director
By Alfred Kollie, alfredkolliejr92@gmail.com
At the 62nd of West African College of Surgeons in Monrovia, the Director for Africa Kid’s Operating Room, Rosemary Mugwe has again expressed commitment to an annual scientific conference to advocate for children’s surgery to be included in the center of health care promises across the region.
KidsOR is a Scottish Global Organization founded in 2018 and is working in West Africa with its mission to support local pediatrics and surgeons through the prevision of training and infrastructure and to ensure they can use their talents to care for their own nation’s Children.
In 2020, KidsOR developed an action plan to increase capacity for pediatric surgery in sub-Sahara West Africa. This exercise is expected to enable at least 7500, 00 children to access lifesaving or life-changing care that would otherwise have not been available to them, the action plan will.
The group has been able to create 120 centers of Excellence across Africa each with state-of-the-art Pediatrics Operating Rooms and has trained 150 Paediatric Surgeons and 100 Pediatric Anesthetists among other.
In Liberia, KidsOR is currently working with one of the country’s biggest referral hospitals, John F. Kennedy which is owned and operated by the government to help equip their Operational Rooms with the modern start of the art equipment.
Marking presentation at the 62nd of West African college of surgeon annual scientific conference held at the Ministerial Complex in Monrovia, Mugwe noted that the inclusion of children’s surgery in the center of health care delivery will help address the many challenges children that are treatable.
‘’We are supporting countries to strengthen their health system through infrastructure equipment and health workforce development through the provision of scholarships for pediatric surgery training. Our aim is for children to access timely, affordable and quality surgery for children regardless of their social and economic background,’’ Mugwe said.
She maintained that every child matters as such no child should die or live in disability as a result of a surgically treatable condition.
Madam Mugwe wants the government, through the ministry of health, to Support and train pediatrics surgeons to help transform the health system specifically for children.
‘’We have a project at the JFK to equip and install the state of the art operating room for children with over three thousand equipment specifically for children aimed at allowing children to have their surgical operation center,’’ she explained.
According to her, children need to be considered by the government in the center of health care provision but urged the ministry of health to incorporate children’s surgery in their health program while developing their national surgery plan.
She observed that it is important for children to have their own space in the area of surgical operation that will allow health care workers to provide proper health care for them.
Kids Operating Room or KidsOR is working in about twenty-six countries in Africa with an endeavor to meet its mission and vision.
The conference, which runs the 21st of March to 24th, has brought together surgeons from across West Africa.
In remarks, the Nurse Anesthetist at John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital Operating room, Ama A. A. Taplah expressed gratitude to KidsOR for their contribution to Liberia through the JFK, specifically the surgeon who they continue to train and work with.
“We want to appreciate KidsOR for the opportunity, they have created a compensative environment for our operation and we are also grateful for the sustainable partnership between the two institutions,” Taplah said.