Charitable activities

overseas anaesthesia fund (oaf)

Can you spare £20 a month to help AAGBI support anaesthesia in developing countries?

In 2006 the AAGBI created the Overseas Anaesthesia Fund (OAF), a charitable fund within the AAGBI Foundation (formerly the AAGBI Education and Research Trust). OAF is unique, as it allows individuals and organisations to donate directly to projects supporting anaesthetists in the developing world.

OAF is involved with a variety of ambitious projects which will make a significant difference to those people working on the ground with few resources.

For example:

Literature distribution in sub-Saharan Africa, we have supplied an anaesthesia handbook for most of the anaesthesia providers in Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, and also substantial numbers in Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania and the Gambia.
OAF has established two AAGBI fellowships lasting three years to support postgraduate medical anaesthetists during training and two fellowships for a two to three-year period to improve efforts to attract trainees into anaesthesia in Uganda and retain them.
OAF has also identified a single hospital in Uganda run by a well-motivated UK-trained anaesthetist and liaising is closely with her with regard to what facilities are required to provide safe anaesthetic care. OAF hopes to establish a well-equipped centre of excellence.
The AAGBI through OAF was a partner in the Global Oximetry (GO) Project which was established to investigate the feasibility of introducing pulse oximeters in developing countries. One of the four pilot sites was in Uganda and was run by AAGBI members. A very exciting development has been the interest of the World Health Organization (WHO); preliminary indications are that WHO may wish to support further work where we have done the pilot projects. It is very exciting and rewarding that an initiative supported by AAGBI since its inception may make a major contribution to patient safety throughout the developing world.

NOW YOU CAN HELP US DO MORE!

Help make a difference to people working on the ground with few resources

Many anaesthetists work without a single text book. A book for an anaesthetist in Zambia or Ethiopia costs around £15 including postage.
A library of books and CD ROMs for a department in Malawi can be provided for £250.
£500-£1000 supports a lecturer running a course overseas.
Equipment donation is fraught with hazards - many items purchased by well meaning individuals and organisations are unsuitable and lie unused. AAGBI can use its personal contacts and liaison with other organisations to minimise the risk of this happening. A cash donation to the Overseas Anaesthesia Fund will be used effectively to purchase equipment on your behalf.

The Overseas Anaesthesia Fund is administered by the AAGBI Foundation. All OAF’s administrative costs will be met by the Foundation, so that all donated money goes directly to support projects.

For information on how to donate please contact Jane Messum, AAGBI Finance Department, 020 7631 8814 or email: jane@aagbi.org