Share by Email

BOSTON, MA – The GE Foundation is announcing the final piece of its groundbreaking $25 million commitment to global safe surgery by supporting the expansion of Safe Surgery 2020 into Southeast Asia, with the inclusion of Cambodia and Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The investment is critical to accelerating access to surgical care in Southeast Asia as the region has one of the lowest levels of surgical provision in the world, with 97% of people currently unable to access safe surgical care.

At the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, GE Foundation officially partnered with Cambodia’s Ministry of Health to strengthen surgical systems through Safe Surgery 2020’s programs on workforce development and targeted innovations and equipment support. Safe Surgery 2020 will collaborate with Calmette Hospital and the University of Health Sciences to develop a training hub that will develop the surgical workforce.

“Safe Surgery 2020 is strengthening the foundations of the surgical system so that essential surgical care will become safe and accessible. The initiative will focus on building the capacity of Cambodian institutions to continue transforming surgical care long into the future,” said Ann R. Klee, President, GE Foundation. “The Cambodian government is committed to improving quality and increasing access to health care in the country, and GE Foundation is pleased to be collaborating with the Ministry of Health to advance surgical care.”

“We are delighted to be selected as one of the first countries in Southeast Asia to run the Safe Surgery program. It provides new, exciting training opportunities for our current, and aspiring surgeons – it will also further support, and hopefully speed up the roll out of a universal health coverage program in the near-future,” said HE Prof. Mam Bunheng, Minister of Ministry of Health.

Safe Surgery 2020 was established in 2015 with the goal of reducing preventable deaths and accelerating access to safe surgery and anesthesia worldwide. Safe Surgery 2020’s key objectives are:
Impact: Reduce preventable deaths from surgically-treatable conditions by enhancing quality of care and increasing the surgical volume in Safe Surgery 2020-supported facilities;
Innovation: Introduce and test innovative models for implementation in global health; and
Scale: Build and strengthen sustainable ecosystems for essential and emergency surgery in low-resource areas.

Safe Surgery 2020 launched in Ethiopia in 2016, and in Tanzania in 2017. The initiative has supported the Ethiopian and Tanzanian governments to develop national surgical strategies, known respectively as Saving Lives through Surgery, and the National Surgical, Obstetric and Anesthesia Plan. Through the portfolio of Safe Surgery 2020 programs, specific primary hospitals have increased surgical volume by 50% and decreased mortality and infection rates by up to a third. Reaching over 1200 workers in East Africa already, Safe Surgery 2020 empowers surgical teams to work well together, follow best practices like the WHO safe surgery checklist, better repair and sterilize surgical equipment.

GE Foundation’s investment in surgery in Southeast Asia builds on over ten years of work in region to improve underserved and rural communities’ access to quality healthcare. Over that time, GE and GE Foundation has provided $12 million in funding to bring in modern medical equipment, develop an in-country biomedical engineering equipment technician training program (BMET) in collaboration with Duke University and Engineering World Health, and increase access to safe water by sponsoring water purification systems with training for healthcare facilities. The programs have supported more than 40 hospitals in 25 provinces.

“Safe Surgery 2020 complements well the GE Foundation-supported healthcare program we launched in Cambodia in 2009. While that initiative focused on providing medical essentials such as training, and equipment, to under resourced hospitals, this specialist skill focused program offers long-term benefits for our surgical teams nationwide,” said Dararith Lim, Country Leader, GE in Cambodia.

About Safe Surgery 2020:
Safe Surgery 2020 brings together innovations, global expertise, and local experience to make surgical care safe and accessible for all. Working across Africa and South Asia, the initiative trains the surgical workforce, supports governments to strengthen national surgical systems, and develops scalable solutions to infrastructure barriers. Safe Surgery 2020 is hosted by Dalberg, implemented by Jhpiego, Harvard’s Program in Global Surgery and Social Change, Assist International, and local professional societies and universities. The initiative was seeded by the GE Foundation. For more details on Safe Surgery 2020, visit: https://www.safesurgery2020.org/.

About the GE Foundation:
GE Foundation, the philanthropic organization of GE, is committed to transforming our communities and shaping the diverse workforce of tomorrow by leveraging the power of GE. GE Foundation is developing skills by bringing innovative learning in community health globally and STEM education, scaling what works, and building sustainable solutions. GE Foundation is inspiring others to act by connecting GE people with communities through matching gifts and United Way, leading on emerging issues such as the opiate crisis, and convening community leaders to maximize our impact. Learn more at www.gefoundation.com or follow us on Twitter at @GE_Foundation.

Average: out of 5 Rated

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.