“Much appreciation and ‘thank you’ to all. Blessings, Edna”
By: Edna Hospital
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – “We have not unpacked it and are leaving it standing in its crate in a corner for the Gradian Health Systems team to open it up when they get here next week. Edna says
“I am grateful to all who made it happen and particularly grateful to Paul for having informed me about the UAM some years ago and then for introducing me to Gradian who arranged for my visit to Gradian in NY in April as well as for the training of Hosea in Cairo continues a beeming Dr Aden who can not hide her pleasure adding
“Now what can I say about wonderful Emily and the efficient way she became the ‘engine’ who coordinated everything to this day?
Gradian’s mission is to equip hospitals to deliver anaesthesia safely and economically, with a focus on facilities where unreliable electricity and medical gas shortages compromise the ability to provide surgery. They’ve developed the Universal Anaesthesia Machine (UAM), which is suitable for general anaesthesia in a wide variety of environments and is used in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Gradian is dedicated to user training and responsive field service to promote sustainable anaesthesia in all hospitals.
Edna wa
s first introduced to Gradian by Prof. Paul Fenton, who invented the UAM while working for 15 years in Malawi at the Malawi School of Anaesthesia, of which is the founder, and at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. After seeing time after time the endless need for a machine that would not rely on compressed medical oxygen or electricity, and one that is easy to maintain and repair, he developed the prototype for what is now the UAM. Through Prof. Fenton, they were able to learn more about the incredible work at Edna Hospital and about the new anaesthesia-training program.
During her visit, Edna gave an inspiring one-hour presentation to Gradian Health board members and staff from various non-profit organizations including the Simons Foundation, the Nick Simons Foundation and the Foundation for a Just Society. Edna’s passion and knowledge about the healthcare needs of Somaliland inspired everyone who attended, and it followed with a question and answer session about the work she is doing not only within her hospital, but also to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) throughout Africa.
The most exciting part of her visit was when members from the Gradian Board presented her with a new UAM that will be installed at Edna Adan University Hospital by the Gradian team in the coming months.
Gradian Health plans to travel to Somaliland, where they will train anaesthesia providers and bio-medical technicians on the 
UAM and on safe surgery practices. Emily Ryan, Gradian’s Program Coordinator stated, “The Edna Adan University Hospital presents a wonderful opportunity for us to work with the UAM in Somaliland. Through their new, comprehensive anaesthesia training program and the many educational efforts at this hospital, we feel that Edna’s mission is very much in line with our own – to save lives through safer surgery.”
Edna Adan: “Having the UAM will help us train the current nurse anesthesia technician students being trained at the Edna Adan University Hospital in the use of this magnificently simple and safe anesthesia machine, but will also help us train other Anesthesia technicians from other hospitals in Somaliland as well as those from anywhere in the Somali-inhabited Horn of Africa .”
Installing a UAM at this hospital will not only help to save more lives, but will hopefully inspire many of Edna’s students to learn more about safer surgery and anaesthesia.
You can learn more about how the UAM works in this fascinating Tedx talk on the design of medical technology for low-resource environments by Gradian Health’s, Erica Frenkel.
Visit www.gradianhealth.org
To read more of this great achievement and view related videos and pictures click Dr Edna
