2016 was a successful year for us as we made major strides in UAM installations and the service and training needed to support them. But as part of our mission, we also recognize the importance of advocating for access to safe, reliable surgical and anesthesia care. Throughout the year, we did just that. Below is a write-up of some of advocacy activities in which Gradian participated.

Lancet Commission Symposium (March) | The Harvard Medical School Center for Global Health Delivery convened global surgery colleagues in Dubai to discuss national surgical planning and implementation. Gradian’s CEO Stephen Rudy joined colleagues from around the world to contribute an industry perspective to the planning efforts. (Read more)

Global Surgery 2030 Roadmap (April) | BMJ Global Health published “Global Surgery 2030: A Roadmap for High-Income-Country Actors” – a set of recommendations for academia, medical trainers, global health funders, medical device companies, media and advocacy organizations to improve access to surgery and anesthesia. We contributed to the report and our CEO penned an op-ed in Devex about the important role of equipment manufacturers in this effort. (Read more)

Women Deliver & Tech4Dev (May) | There are many worthwhile global health events each year, but two stood out this past May: Women Deliver 2016 in Copenhagen and UNESCO’s Technology for Development Conference in Lausanne. Women Deliver continues to be the leading conference focused on women’s health and rights, and we were excited to see surgery featured prominently in safe childbirth programs. At Tech4Dev, our VP of Market Strategy, Lina Sayed, presented Gradian’s distribution model, and demonstrated why innovation for low-income countries doesn’t stop with a product – it must be applied to the model surrounding that product, and the distribution, service and training needed to realize its full value.

Surgical Forum in Sierra Leone (May) | After overcoming the devastating effects of the Ebola epidemic, Sierra Leone is rebuilding its health system, with surgery and anesthesia playing a central role. The Ministry of Health and Sanitation – along with King’s College London – gathered the country’s medical stakeholders and some NGO representatives last May to design a national surgical forum. Gradian participated in the launch and has since installed a UAM in every public hospital in the country.

Health Technology Management Week (May) | We worked to raise awareness about the need for equipment maintenance during Health Technology Management (HTM) Week this year, and our Biomedical Engineering Manager, Ismael Cordero, won an award for his contribution to HTM Week. (Read more)

World Congress of Anaesthesiologists (August/September) | The quadrennial WCA was held in Hong Kong this year, where anesthesia leaders from around the world convened to share their work and discuss challenges in the operating room. Gradian took the opportunity to advocate for increased attention on anesthesia in low- and middle-income countries, and we were glad to sponsor a handful of anesthesiologists from Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia so they could participate in the Congress. (Read more)

SAFE-T Campaign (August/September) | At the WCA, the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA) formally launched their Safe Anaesthesia for Everybody – Today (SAFE-T) campaign, setting out to improve patient care and access to anesthesia worldwide. Gradian is proud to be a founding partner of the campaign. (Read more)

Zambia Anesthesia Conference | After revitalizing their organization earlier this year, the Society of Anesthesiologists of Zambia hosted their inaugural conference on anesthesia provision in the country. We teamed up with our local distributor – Sonergy Diagnostics – to sponsor the event and help draw attention to this overlooked topic.

THET Annual Conference (October) | The Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET) held their annual meeting in London, which focused on “evidence, effectiveness and impact.” Our Customer Experience Manager, Sadie Healy, presented Gradian’s approach to partnership, and we also helped support the conference’s organization. (Read more)

#United4Oxygen Commitment (November) | At the Clinton Global Initiative this year, several leading global health organizations launched United for Oxygen – a partnership to increase access to oxygen for women and children. We joined these groups – including the Gates Foundations, Save the Children, UNICEF and others – in Addis Ababa for its first national launch, where the Government of Ethiopia unveiled its new oxygen roadmap. (Read more)

G4 Alliance Board Transition (November) | As the Global Alliance for Surgical, Obstetric, Trauma and Anesthesia Care (G4 Alliance) prepared to transition to a new board of directors, Gradian continued to play a role in the Alliance’s evolution. Our COO, Erica Frenkel – formerly G4’s governance co-chair – participated in the final interim board meeting in Washington. We will continue to work with the Alliance as an active member to advocate for the neglected surgical patient. (Read more)

SARANF (November) | The French-speaking African Society of Anesthesia and Resuscitation (SARANF) held their annual meeting in Cameroon, where Gradian participated as an exhibitor and a sponsor of anesthesiologists from Benin and the DRC. (Read more)

#ReadySetLaunch (December) | Gradian was honored to be featured as a case study in the recently launched “Ready, Set, Launch” planning guide, published by USAID. To help launch the report, our Lina Sayed joined colleagues from CHAI, Medtronic and the Maternal and Child Survival Program for a panel at the Aspen Institute, where they discussed the challenges and opportunities for expanding access to critical global health products. (Read more)

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