Mbingo Baptist Hospital Opens an Operating Theatre Dedicated To Children

Bamenda, Cameroon: Mbingo Baptist Referral Hospital now has a dedicated children’s Operating Room courtesy of global charities Smile Train and Kids Operating Room (KidsOR). The hospital, which has a bed capacity of 290 and receives approximately 80,000 patients annually, is expected to increase its surgical provision with the revamped operating room.

Paediatric Surgeon at Mbingo Hospital, Dr George Ngock is optimistic about the impact this operating room will have: “I foresee much-improved surgical care for these children, in terms of creating a more friendly environment before and during surgery, improving or even eliminating preoperative anxiety and bringing forth more positive surgical outcomes.”

Smile Train Program Director Central Africa Dr. Nicole Bouba noted that children require specialized surgical equipment and a recovery environment that makes them feel safe and comfortable, underscoring the need for more partnerships in enhancing quality and comprehensive treatment for children: “The paediatric theatre and recovery room light up the spirit and the mood of children and adults alike. The theatre teams are more empowered with quality equipment, and the children have a greater opportunity to live a healthy life. Our sustainable partnership model enhances confidence in local healthcare systems to provide high standards of surgical care in low-resource settings all year round.”

Director for Africa at KidsOR Rosemary Mugwe recognised the projected impact of having a dedicated theatre for children: “The theatre has been fitted with modern equipment suited for children. Timely and quality access to surgery for all children should be a right regardless of one’s social status or economic background.”

It is estimated that 30 percent of the global burden of disease can be treated with surgery. There are, on average, 0.03 paediatric surgeons per 100,000 children in low-income countries and one specialist surgeon for over 3 million children compared to one specialist paediatric surgeon for every 47,000 children in high-income countries. 

Mbingo Baptist Hospital is one of the main referral hospitals in the North-West region of Bamenda and in the country, despite its location. It hosts training programmes for surgery Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) and Christian Internal Medicine (CIMS). This installation is expected to benefit the north-west region and country at large. Additionally, the long-term collaboration of KidsOR and Smile Train will ultimately result in more than 30 paediatric operating rooms provided across Africa over the next five years, treating more than 12,000 children. The Smile Train-KidsOR partnership is also supporting a paediatric surgery scholarship for the training and education of 40 paediatric surgeons across Africa in partnership with the West African College of Surgeons (WACS) and the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA).

About Smile Train

Smile Train empowers local medical professionals with training, funding, and resources to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally. We advance a sustainable solution and scalable global health model for cleft treatment, drastically improving children’s lives, including their ability to eat, breathe, speak, and ultimately thrive. To learn more about how Smile Train’s sustainable approach means donations have both an immediate and long-term impact, please visit smiletrain.org.

About Kids Operating Room

Kids Operating Room is a global health charity with bases in Nairobi, Edinburgh, London, and Dundee. It works directly with local surgeons and their teams across Africa and South America to transform hospital spaces into dedicated Operating Rooms for children’s surgery, creating child-friendly surroundings and providing surgeons with the specialist equipment they need to care for their nation’s children.  More than 53,000 children have accessed life-changing or life-saving care through KidsOR’s work. The charity also funds training of surgeons and anaesthesia providers and works with National Ministries of Health to develop sustainable healthcare services.  

 KidsOR advocates, at a national and international level, on the global plight of children denied access to safe surgery. The KidsOR vision is for a world where every child has equal access to safe surgery. Visit: www.kidsOR.org