TAPPITA, Nimba – Medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres has donated assorted medical equipment to the Jackson F. Doe Memorial Regional Referral Hospital in Tappita.
The equipment donated includes an electrical suction pump, an anesthesia ventilator, a hydraulic operating table, an X-ray viewing station, a digital imaging scanner, and a gynecological dismountable examination table. The donation also includes wheelchairs, crutches, immobilizers, and refrigerators.
MSF put the cost of the materials donated at US$178,640.
MSF has lately been running two programs in Liberia, focusing on improving pediatric care and providing services to people with epilepsy and mental health conditions. However, there are reports that the organization is closing its operations in Liberia, resulting in equipment donations to health facilities in the country.
The equipment were presented to the hospital’s chief medical officer, Dr. Siaffa Sando, in Monrovia on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. They were subsequently presented to the hospital’s chief executive officer, Dr. Victor Kaizer, in Tappita on Friday, August 2, 2024.
Sando said the hospital’s administration had written MSF to assist with some of its equipment upon hearing that the MSF mission to Liberia was closing.
He noted that the equipment donated were essential for operating the facility, especially the operation room, a section of the hospital he said “is very expensive to run.”
He estimated the cost of the anesthetic machine donated to be over US$37,000. Additionally, he noted that the digital X-ray machine and printer would help curtail the hospital’s burden.
MSF also donated a washer and dryer. In the past, Sando said staff working in the laundry section washed and hung the sterile gowns on lines outside, which was hazardous to patients, as it could cause post-operative infections.
Dr. Victor Kaizer, Jackson F. Doe Hospital’s CEO, appreciated MSF’s donation. He said MSF would also be donating medication to the hospital in the coming days. Although some of the donated equipment are used, Kaizer said they are still in good condition and can be used by the hospital for a very long time.
Featured photo by Jacob Bantu/Voice of Tappita
