Anaesthetic equipment is a vital part of any surgery; without it patients can face complications that could be fatal if they are not monitored correctly. Each year, Project Harar, together with a team of international surgeons and anaesthetists, helps 50 patients with severe facial disfigurements undergo life changing surgery that can take up to 5 hours to complete. The EMMA machine is vital as it monitors our patients CO2 and respiratory rates, ensuring safer surgeries for all our beneficiaries
Working anaesthetic machines are hard to come by in Ethiopian public hospitals. Patients undergoing surgeries in these hospitals are put at a higher risk of suffering complications in surgery due to the lack of monitoring. Those needing surgery are likely to have to seek it in private hospitals and find themselves with large hospital bills that are often not affordable to most people in this developing country.
The EMMA machine would enable operations taking place at Yekatit-12 hospital in Addis Ababa to be more carefully monitored and will create a safer environment for patients and staff. This hospital is home to a growing cleft unit, operating on nearly 800 patients a year, and is also the setting for Project Harar's Complex Surgical Mission where 50 operations take place for people with more serve facial disfigurements. Without this machine there is a higher risk of easily avoidable complications.
The EMMA machine can be the start of a long-term safer operating environment in the Yekatit-12 cleft unit. All patients receiving surgery in this unit, including Project Harar's 50 more complex patients during our annual mission, can go into surgery knowing they will be carefully monitored throughout and will be less likely to experience any complications. These surgeries will ultimately improve their quality of life and increase their opportunities for the future.
