Prof. King David attends opening ceremony in Nigeria

KidsOR avid supporter and past President of the West African College of Surgeons (WACS), Professor King David Terna Yawe, recently represented Kids Operating Room in the official unveiling of the newest paediatric Operating Room installed in partnership with Smile Train at National Orthopaedic Hospital Enugu. 

The ceremony was attended by Senator Adeleke Olorunnimbe Mamora, Minister of State for Health, other government officials, key partners and hospital staff, including Dr. Cajetan U. Nwadinigwe, Medical Director, National Orthopedic Hospital Enugu.

It was a true celebration of the work we do with partner hospitals to ensure thousands more children access the timely surgical care they need close to their community.  

Speaking during the unveiling of the operating theatre, Prof. King David highlighted the value it will bring both to children and the medical professionals: “Our desire is to narrow the gap among children in Nigeria lacking access to safer surgery. We are also keen on growing the number of qualified surgeons providing the much-needed skills among the underserved communities.” 

KidsOR director for Africa Rosemary Mugwe equally emphasized the importance of having dedicated paediatric rooms: “We are delighted to have delivered this joint project successfully. In this theatre, we have delivered approximately 3,000 state-of-the-art equipment."

Our model is to give the right tool to skilled personnel to enable them care for the children of Enugu and Nigeria at large

Rosemary Mugwe, Africa Director at KidsOR

Also at the event, Smile Train Vice-President and Regional Director for Africa Mrs Nkeiruka Obi underscored the need to prioritise safer paediatric surgery through the provision of adequate infrastructure and trained personnel: “There is a dire need in LMICs for surgical and anaesthesia infrastructure as well as providers trained in paediatric care.”

What the partnership will achieve

Currently, the continent of Africa has the youngest population in the world, with the overall population set to grow exponentially by 2050. The already significant need for paediatric surgical interventions will only increase in the coming decades.  

The long-term collaboration of KidsOR and Smile Train will ultimately result in more than 30 paediatric operating rooms provided across countries in Africa over the next five years, treating more than 12,000 children.  

The Smile Train-KidsOR partnership is also supporting a paediatric surgery scholarship for the training and education of 40 paediatric surgeons across Africa in partnership with the West African College of Surgeons (WACS) and the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA). 

Recent Posts