Photo Essay: SAFE OR in India, November 2019

Lifebox, in collaboration with local and regional partners, organized two SAFE OR workshops in India, November 23-28, with Lifebox trustee Dr. Isabeau Walker acting as course director. In Nanded, Maharashtra, Dr. Someshwar Patange, long-time Lifebox safe anesthesia champion, joined Isabeau and a group of international and local faculty to implement the first SAFE OR workshop in the Dr. S. C. Government Medical College (GMC) and Hospital. The workshop was held in partnership with the hospital’s anesthesia department and supported by Dr. Sushila Gawande. Forty-one surgeons, nurses, and anesthesiologists from Nanded and other parts of Maharashtra participated in the multi-disciplinary workshop with 15 trained as trainers and ready to facilitate future workshops.

Lifebox organized a second workshop in partnership with Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) in Mumbai. Led by the anaesthesia department at TMC under the guidance of Dr. Reshma Ambulkar, the in-country costs were supported by TMC as well Lifebox Australia-New Zealand and Sushila Gawande funds. A total of 32 clinical staff attended from different government hospitals in Mumbai, including TMC satellite centres in Vizag, Varanasi, Vashi, and Punjab. Fifteen people were trained as future SAFE OR trainers.

Read Dr. Walker’s blog post about the workshops here.