In countries like Canada and the United States, many women take it for granted that they can easily have a caesarian operation when any complications arise during the delivery of their baby.  It’s such a common procedure that some women even schedule a caesarian operation as part of their delivery because they already know they are at high risk.  Some women even schedule it ‘just because’ they want to deliver that way rather than naturally; booking it like it’s a dentist appointment.

  In developed countries, all operating rooms are equipped with a Pulse Oximeter.  This device measures the proportion of oxygenated hemoglobin in the patient’s blood. It plays an important role in the safety of a patient during surgery, but in many developing countries they don’t even have one in the operating room.  Over 70, 000 operating rooms worldwide don’t have a Pulse Oximeter.  Over 500 lives are at risk every hour of every day because of this fact.  Imagine living in a country where the tools for a safe surgery are not easily accessible.  It’s very likely that a woman who needs a caesarian will have the surgery done under conditions that will put her life and the baby’s at risk.

Pulse Oximeter in neonatal unit at a hospital in Malawi. (Image courtesy http://www.safesurgery.wordpress.com)

  Born Safe Global is a campaign by Lifebox, an organization that was founded by a group of anesthesiologists and surgeons who saw first hand the need for essential safety equipment and for basic training in surgical procedures that wasn’t always available.  “We set out to save lives by globalizing the WHO (World Health Organization) Safe Surgery Checklist – 19 steps proven to reduce complications and deaths by more than a third. Working with our partner, Acare, we developed a low-cost pulse oximeter, critical to monitoring anesthesia during surgery, and we offer it and checklist training in an effort that has now reached more than 10 million patients in 90 countries,” said Kit J. Nichols, Director of Operations at Lifebox USA, “Because of the high rate of emergency obstetric procedures such as C-sections, women bear a disproportionate share of the burden of unsafe surgery. By providing proper training and equipment, we estimate that we can help save the lives of hundreds of thousands of women who undergo surgery during childbirth.”  Nichols continued.

  Over 800 women die every day due to complications during and/or after childbirth.  No woman should die from giving birth in the twenty-first century.  Countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia have some of the highest numbers when it comes to maternal and newborn deaths.  Eastern Europe also has its challenges when it comes to safe surgery, 1 out of 3 face the same problems there.  

  The tools are available and we need to get it to everyone in the world possible to reduce the fatalities.  What can you do to help?  You can join the campaign by following, liking and sharing at @BornSafeGlobal on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  Use the hashtag #BornSafeGlobal in a photo sharing the message that you’re grateful to have been born safe. You can also make a donation that will help provide Pulse Oximeters to hospitals and clinics around the world that need it. Click here to DONATE what you can to support the campaign and help provide lifesaving tools to give both a mother and her child the right to live.