Anaesthesia saves lives

YouTube video about the role of the anaesthetist in modern medicine

Surgery can save lives but you can't have surgery without anaesthesia.

Many Namibians only have access to surgery when there is a serious emergency.

Women are 17 times more likely to die in childbirth in Namibia than Wales, often because there is nobody to give anaesthesia.

If Namibia was to have a proportionate number of anaesthetists to Wales, it would have more than 1,000.

But in reality there are just a handful of anaesthetists working in the public sector.

At the moment you’re exceptionally lucky in Namibia to be treated in a hospital with an anaesthetist. Working closely with the University of Namibia, we can make a real impact here and save lives.

What can be done?

We’ve already run several successful anaesthesia crash courses for Namibian doctors around the country.

But our plans are even more ambitious.

With our support, Namibia will produce its own anaesthetists for the very first time through a Masters-level course at the University of Namibia (UNAM).

The UNAM School of Medicine is enrolling its first students in 2018 for a four-year specialist course.

This Masters will create a new body of professional anaesthetics doctors in Namibia in sufficient numbers to truly transform care.

This has a great impact on the institution itself… and also to the community because since people are well acquainted with anaesthesia and well trained, they will save lives.