Transforming Global Health: How Kids Operating Room is Changing Lives Through Paediatric Surgery

Blog

Mon Sep' 24

In 2008, Paul Farmer famously described surgery as "the neglected stepchild of global health."

With those words, a conversation around global surgery began.

For many, it was a moment of awakening—a spotlight on an issue that had been seeping through the cracks of global health priorities for decades.

The truth was laid bare. Dr. Farmer had made the silent tragedy, happening all the way on the other side of the world, unavoidable.

And the facts spoke for themselves: millions of people around the world were suffering, becoming disabled, and dying from conditions that could be treated, often easily, in an operating room.

Global surgery had been put on the map. The neglected stepchild now noticed.

In 2015, inspired, in part, by the work of Dr. Farmer and his organisation Partners in Health (PiH), the team that would become Kids Operating Room embarked on their first project.

Dr. John Sekabira, in Kampala, Uganda, holding a baby shortly after surgery.

Our Trustee & Board Member, Dr. George Youngson, had been approached with a proposition from a man named Dr. John Sekabira, an incredibly talented and driven paediatric surgeon, based in Kampala, Uganda.

Dr. Sekabira worked at Mulago Hospital, one of Uganda's largest, and busiest, healthcare facilities, providing care to hundreds of thousands of children each year.

His story was one that we would become incredibly familiar with as our reach grew.

John had all the ability, and all the motivation, needed to operate on the enormous list of children he faced.

But he barely had any of the resources. No operating space. No team. No equipment.

He needed help.

So that's what we did.

The three paediatric operating rooms we installed at Mulago Hospital brought all the missing pieces to Dr. John Sekabira's efforts to save children's lives. Since then, thousands of children have been through this system, arriving to Mulago in critical condition, accessing surgery in our theatres, then returning home to lead a happy, healthy childhood.

One of three operating rooms installed at Mulago Hospital in Uganda.

Dr. John Sekabira conducting an operation in the newly installed paediatric theatre.

Inspired by the success of our work in Mulago, Kids Operating Room have now created capacity for over 150,000 life-changing operations across more than 30 countries in 3 different continents.

We believe now more than ever in what Dr. Farmer said: surgery is a crucial component of a country's healthcare system and without it entire populations are vulnerable to needless suffering.

So, in 2024, when we installed one of our life-changing paediatric operating rooms at Butaro Hospital in Rwanda, it felt like a truly symbolic moment.

The Paul Farmer Memorial Operating Room, in Butaro, Rwanda.

By opening a state of the art children's theatre at a hospital developed by Dr. Farmer's organisation, PiH, a testament to his own vision of dignified care for those in LMICs, we underlined our relentless dedication to a cause he helped popularise nearly 20 years ago.

The impact that having a state-of-the-art paediatric operating room has on the entire community in Butaro, Rwanda, will truly be felt for generations.

To the doctors no longer having to 'make-do' with shoddy equipment whilst doing the most delicate job imaginable.

To the parents no longer sitting in dingy, uncomfortable corridors whilst they face the most anxious wait of their lives.

To the children undergoing the operation.

Nobody should suffer from a condition that could be treated with surgery. This theatre will help make this a reality for children in Burera, Rwanda.

Our work isn't finished. There are so many more children in desperate need of our help. And we are absolutely determined to reach them.

We need all the support we can get. If you want to be a part of the journey, you can join the mission by signing up to our newsletter below. We can't do this alone, but we can do it together.