African hospitals benefit from St John WA stretcher donation
St John WA (SJWA) has donated 75 manual Ferno stretchers, worth more than $800,000, to African hospitals and medical clinics to be used for patient transfer or in ambulances.
The stretchers will be distributed in Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda, as well as Cambodia in south-east Asia, as part of Rotary Australia World Community Service’s (RAWCS) humanitarian, development and disaster relief.
The Mary Help Hospital in South Sudan provides health care without discrimination to the poorest provinces and focuses on malnutrition and gender-based violence and sexual offences, often resulting in HIV transmission.
Its inpatient departments, which includes a tuberculosis (TB) ward, sees on average 130 patients a day since opening in 2018. Sometimes its 215-bed capacity is stretched to meet demand of 250 people a day during rainy seasons.
It also has mobile clinics, as well as being a teaching hospital for 340 students wishing to train in midwifery and nursing.
“Mary Help Hospital as a teaching hospital ensures innovative, consistent and continuously improving health and medical care to better outcomes of patient safety and patient satisfaction,” a hospital statement said.
“Mary Help Association together with the late Bishop Rudolf Deng Majak of Wau Diocese began the hospital construction to fulfil the long-cherished dream of Sister Gracy Adichirayil, who worked in Sudan since 1989 and has seen the suffering of the people especially the women and children.
“It was her desire to have a good hospital where the children can be treated like human beings, where mothers can have a place to lay down when they are sick and to give birth in privacy in a clean environment.”
The Ferno stretchers have been replaced by Stryker stretchers rolled across SJWA’s response locations statewide over five years.
SJWA Group CEO Kevin Brown took pride in the team helping deliver better outcomes for WA, African and Cambodian patients, as well as those involved in their care.
“Investing in powered stretchers has made the task of assisting patients easier and safer for our team members, improving the overall patient care experience,” Kevin said.
“It has also granted us this opportunity to give back to global communities in desperate need of charitably donated medical equipment such as stretchers.
“We’re proud to assist Rotary Australia and other charitable organisations like St John which serve humanity and uplift vulnerable communities.”
Rotary Australia’s Repurposing Equipment (RARE) spokesman welcomed the donations.
“Over the past 18 years we have now sent more than 50 40-foot containers to Cambodia and other containers to Timor L’Este, Mongolia, Keyna, South Sudan, Uganda, Sri Lanka and now also examining one to Zimbabwe,” he said.
“The Director of Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital expresses grateful thanks for the donation of various medical equipment. Your inputs are really significant.”