ARCHIE Global Surgery
Through the International Affairs Committee (IAC) of BAPS, a children’s charity in the north-east of Scotland has established links with the number of paediatric centres in East Africa. At the International Forum held during the BAPS annual conference in London in 2017, Professor George Youngson CBE (associate member of International Affairs Committee) presented the investment made by ARCHIE Global Surgery in Uganda, Malawi, and plans for projects for Tanzania (Dar es Salaam) and Rwanda (Kigali).
Prof Youngson (formerly chair of IAC) had previously established relationships with the paediatric surgeons in these countries through COSECSA (College of Surgeons of East Central Southern Africa) and recognising the absence of any dedicated paediatric operating theatres in these countries, has developed projects delivered by ARCHIE Global Surgery whereby fully furnished specialist children’s operating theatres have been created in Kampala and Mbarara, Uganda,- as well as in the Mercy James Institute of Paediatric Surgery in Blantyre, Malawi.
The fundraising model for the charity has been assisted by Johnson & Johnson and Storz instruments but was based on using the Scottish school’s curriculum ,- “Curriculum for Excellence” to assist teachers in delivering the “global citizenship” component of that curriculum. In return, the schools have fundraised for ARCHIE Global Surgery and allowed delivery of the operating theatre projects. Financial support has also been obtained from Sir Ian Wood of the Wood Foundation and Craig Ferguson-Scottish writer and comedian.
The images illustrate the high quality family and child-friendly environments produced by the charity in Kampala and in Mbarara. Each unit has a fully equipped operating theatre as well as a reception and recovery area of a quality and standard equivalent to or indeed exceeding that seen in the first world.