Member Spotlight - Kids Operating Room

Globally, 1.75 billion children live in regions with limited access to safe and timely surgical care.

Despite advancements in global health, surgical mortality and morbidity in the world's poorest regions continues to rise. 

Almost one-third of the global burden of disease has been estimated to be attributed to surgically treatable conditions. Right now, five times more people die from surgically preventable conditions than HIV, Malaria, and TB combined. Lack of access to surgery leads to children suffering from treatable conditions, which often result in lifelong disabilities and limited opportunities for education and employment. Additionally, the projected increase in the occurrence of cancer, road traffic collisions, and injuries points to an ever-increasing need for surgical services globally.

This is where Kids Operating Room comes in.

Kids Operating Room (KidsOR) is a global charity solely dedicated to bringing safe surgery to children. We partner with local teams in low-resource hospital settings across Africa, Latin America, and South Asia to establish fully equipped paediatric operating rooms. In addition to providing infrastructure, we invest in the training of paediatric surgeons, anaesthesiologists, nurses, and biomedical engineers, and conduct independent research to evaluate the impact of our work. 

We promote sustainable innovative solutions, such as solar-powered surgery systems and medical ceramic oxygen generators (M-COGs), which help overcome critical challenges in low-resource settings, including unreliable power supply, limited access to oxygen, affordability, and sterilisation of medical equipment. 

KidsOR also collaborates with global health organisations to advocate for better access to healthcare and more equitable funding models. As a trusted delivery partner, we support organisations working in critical areas such as orthopaedics, traumas, and cleft lip and palate surgery, particularly in regions with limited healthcare infrastructure.

By strengthening health systems and providing reliable resources, we help local teams deliver high-quality care, expand their reach, and improve patient outcomes. Through our collaborative approach, we aim to make a lasting impact on global healthcare.

To date, we have installed 130 operating rooms in 39 countries, creating capacity for over 800+ surgeries. By 2030, we want to have installed 200 operating rooms worldwide. 

Partnership with us is vital in delivering surgical care for children in low-resource settings, as we can combine resources, expertise, and networks to address complex challenges. Collaborations enable efficient use of funding, ensuring comprehensive support from infrastructure development to surgeon training, fostering long-term sustainability by empowering local healthcare systems.

By aligning our missions, we can collectively overcome barriers such as limited access to equipment, skilled personnel, and post-operative care, providing children with life-saving surgeries so they can have a future where anything is possible.