Kids OR select Q-Flow surgical lights to transfer paediatric operating theatres

A charity that transforms hospital operating rooms in developing countries has chosen Merivaara mobile lights for use in its paediatric theatres.

Kids Operating Room (Kids OR) was formally launched in January 2018 and was already established in the development of specialist paediatric projects. The charity establishes what equipment would make a difference to surgeons operating on children, and packages kits which are supplied from its warehouse in Dundee, Scotland. The healthcare facilities are improved with new medical equipment and artwork, enabling advances in paediatric treatment and care.

More than 30 operating theatres have been deployed so far, with the charity also providing training for surgeons requiring specialist paediatric skills.

The agreement to supply portable lights has been made with Merivaara distributor Bender UK. The Merivaara lights will be used in new operating theatres in African and South American hospitals which would otherwise lack facilities and experience to carry out dedicated paediatric surgery.

The mobile version of the award-winning Q-Flow™ surgical lights offers the same advanced features and technology as the fixed versions installed in NHS and private hospitals by Bender UK. The full portable light has a six-hour battery back-up to ensure it remains operational in the event of a power outage.  The energy efficient, user-friendly LED light has been designed to eliminate shadows, while delivering class-leading illumination and R9 colour rendering to the patient area.

Gareth Brunton, MD of Bender UK said, “We normally work with the NHS and private medical groups, but we welcome the opportunity to supply a worthwhile UK charity that is committed to saving lives of children by transforming operating rooms in developing countries.”

Dave Tipping, Director of Global Operations states: “More children die every year from surgically treatable injuries than from malaria, HIV and TB combined. We work directly with local surgeons and their teams to create fully equipped operating rooms for children in countries where demand is overwhelming.  Enabling those teams to use their dedication and talents to treat greater numbers of children, we are transforming lives one operation at a time.”

Each fully equipped paediatric operating room represents an investment value of around £500,000 and the new facilities typically carry out more than 600 surgeries each year, many of them complex and life-changing for the patients.  The Kids OR teams install and commission the equipment and continue providing on-going support to the surgical teams.

The first Merivaara lights to be supplied are set to be deployed in Kenya at the Makueni County Referral Hospital.

For more information on Kids OR visit charity website www.kidsor.org/.