U.S.-Based Organization Improves Surgical Care in African Nation

Online, January 7, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Adopt A Doctor, an international non-profit based in Providence, Rhode Island [USA], has recently organized the delivery of surgical supplies to doctors in the African nation of Malawi.

Adopt A Doctor acquired the donation of stapling devices from Covidien, a global healthcare products leader whose philanthropic efforts make quality healthcare available around the world.

Stapling devices are used for bowel resections and anastomosis performed to remove diseased segments of the large and small intestine, and to staple together the two remaining ends.

Presently, the nation of Malawi lacks stapling devices. The donation will dramatically improve surgical patients' care at the Kamazu Central Hospital, which is located in Malawi's capital city of Lilongwe.

"It is our mission to affect lives in countries that need our assistance the most," states Ray Rickman, president of Adopt A Doctor. "The generous donation from Covidien will allow patients at the Kamazu Central Hospital to receive proper healthcare in the form of improved surgical care."

The organization has previous success in facilitating the transfer of surgical supplies to this landlocked country in southeast Africa.

In 2009, Adopt A Doctor acquired a retractor system for Kamazu Central Hospital from Codman, a Johnson & Johnson company. The device keeps tissues on either side of an incision apart during surgical procedures. It is currently being used to treat patients with cancer of the esophagus, sigmoid volvolus, and perforated appendicitis and ulcers.

Adopt A Doctor, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Providence, was established in 2003 to supplement the salaries of medical doctors in Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Malawi. These countries have fewer medical doctors than almost any other nation in the world.

Adopt A Doctor currently supports 18 doctors, two of whom are women. The roster includes: two doctors from Liberia, three doctors from Sierra Leone, seven doctors from Malawi, and six doctors from Mali. Adopt a Doctor doubles the salaries of physicians on the condition that they remain practicing in their countries for at least seven years.

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