Weighing a little more than four pounds and suffering from respiratory failure, Pham was sent to NHP for treatment. |
Evans has long understood the importance of
sustainability in medical aid programs. From years of
volunteering in Vietnam before starting KSE Medical,
he learned that donating foreign equipment to poor
hospitals does not remedy a lack of basic medical
technology. If the hospital workers do not have the
knowledge and resources to properly operate and
maintain those foreign machines, then such wellintentioned
efforts are futile. The project is about
"teaching people how to design and develop these for
themselves, how to support them in a spirit of selfsufficiency,"
Evans says.
This is easier said than done. KSE Medical spent three
years developing CPAP machines that met local hospitals'
needs. It began to train workers, monitor the machines'
quality and provide technical support. "It has been the
hardest five working years of my life," Evans says. |
Mothers watch over their babies in the family waiting
room at NHP. |
A baby receives treatment from one of the 17 CPAP machines at NHP. |
Mothers watch over their babies in the family waiting
room at NHP.
Mothers watch over their babies in the family waiting
room at NHP. |
The Breath of Life pilot program began at the National
Hospital of Pediatrics (NHP) in Hanoi, the country's
premier neonatal care facility. The program joined
KSE Medical's sustainable technology and connections
to Vietnamese medical workers with EMW's program
development and donor dollars. After the CPAP machines
were introduced, the infant mortality rate at the hospital
declined by at least 29 percent. The hospital now has 17
CPAP machines.
Breath of Life estimates a total of 1,000 CPAP machines are
required to meet the needs of every Vietnamese hospital. The next step is to equip small regional hospitals such
as Duc Giang. The hospital is ill-equipped to treat the
100 sick infants it sees each month. Premature babies in
respiratory distress must often be sent to larger hospitals
like NHP. Each minute in transit diminishes the chances
of the baby's survival. "Reducing infant mortality is not
about reducing it at the big city hospitals," says Dr.
Tran Bui Quang Duong, the vice director of Duc Giang
hospital. "You have to start at regional |
| hospitals like this,
because at that point, the infant’s condition is not yet
critical. If we can treat them right away, we won’t need to
send them to the big hospitals.” |
Hong holds her grandson, who suffered from asphyxia after he was born at the Bac Ninh Provincial Hospital. |
Newborn twins receive treatment at the Bac Ninh Provincial Hospital. |
| Since it began, Breath of Life has provided more than
150 CPAP machines to at least 50 hospitals in Vietnam.
As hospitals receive CPAP machines, stories of hope
are gradually replacing stories like Thao and Linh's.
Do Van Nam is a mother of twins who were treated
for respiratory distress in a hospital in the Bac Ninh
province. "The doctor said our babies were too
small, too weak and to prepare for the worst," Do says.
After several days on a CPAP machine, her babies are able
to breathe. "Just three days ago all our hopes and dreams
seemed to be impossible . but my first child can now
breathe by herself and we believe our second child will be
healthy too. This machine is a miracle to us." |
Families enjoy time together after treatment at the Bac Giang Provincial Hospital. |
East Meets West Foundation
PO box 29292
Oakland, CA 94604
USA
800.561.3378
info@eastmeetswest.org
www.eastmeetswest.org
KSE Medical
No. 2, Lane 70
Linh Lang Street
Ba Dinh District
Hanoi
Vietnam
+84 04 766 6521
nga@ksemedical.com
www.ksemedical.com |
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