Providence, December 24, 2009 – Adopt a Doctor, an international non-profit based in Providence, Rhode Island [USA], has organized the delivery of surgical supplies to the African nation of Malawi.
Adopt a Doctor was granted the donation of a retractor system from Codman, a Johnson & Johnson company. Presently, the entire country of Malawi lacks retractor systems, which are used to keep tissues on either side of an incision apart during surgical procedures to treat cancer of the esophagus, sigmoid volvolus, and perforated appendicitis and ulcers. The donation will improve surgical patients’ care at the Kamazu Central Hospital (KCH), which is located in Malawi’s capital city of Lilongwe.
“It is our mission to affect lives in countries that need our assistance the most,” said Ray Rickman, president of Adopt a Doctor. “The generous donation from Codman will allow Malawians to receive proper healthcare in the form of improved surgical care.”
With a population of 14.2 million people, Malawi is one of the poorest nations in the world. The current food shortage crisis and disease are the two major contributing factors behind the nation’s low life expectancy of 43.82 years.
“We must recognize that basic needs do not end with food, water, and shelter,” said Joseph Phommasith, the organization’s executive director. “Adopt a Doctor is pleased to facilitate the transcontinental transfer of surgical instruments that will have substantial impact on the health and wellbeing of thousands of people.”
Adopt a Doctor, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Providence, was established by Ray Rickman in 2003 to supplement the salaries of medical doctors in Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Malawi. These countries have fewer medical doctors than almost any other nation in the world.
Adopt a Doctor currently supports 18 doctors, two of whom are women. The roster includes: two doctors from Liberia, three doctors from Sierra Leone, seven doctors from Malawi, and six doctors from Mali. Adopt a Doctor doubles the salaries of physicians on the condition that they remain practicing in their countries for at least seven years.
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