Closing the Gap: How a Donated Ultrasound Machine Dropped Maternal Mortality Rate by 90% in a Western Sierra Leone Community

In western Sierra Leone, a community hospital receives a donation of critical medical equipment: a portable ultrasound machine and printer. Serving a community of more than 5,000 patients a year, Dr. Hassan Sesay of the Bai Bureh Memorial Community Hospital hosts an ultrasound clinic four days a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Because the machine is portable, the equipment is hauled more than 44 miles west across potholed dirt roads to Evans Medical Center on Sundays and Wednesdays. The donated ultrasound equipment is the most affordable and accurate scan in the region, and with this vital piece of equipment he performs an average of 320 diagnostic images a month. Because of the equipment’s accessibility and accuracy, Dr. Sesay’s medical interventions have resulted in a 90% maternal mortality rate reduction within the equipment’s first few months of use in the community. Dr. Sesay shares that his joy in this intervention is when pregnant women listen and follow his advice, confident in their care.

Advances in medical equipment over time have improved accuracy, efficiency, and efficacy within health care systems, ensuring patients receive quality treatment and enabling them to live longer, healthier lives. However, according to the National Academy of Medicine in 2018, health systems in low-income countries (LICs) have limited access to seemingly commonplace medical devices, many of which rely on donations to make up 80% of their supply of medical equipment. At TRIMEDX Foundation, we are committed to addressing the global challenges of raising the standard of healthcare for the communities we serve, working alongside our partners to bridge the gap of medical device availability and reliability. Thanks to a generous donation from Indiana-based diagnostic imaging equipment distributor Probo Medical, a portable ultrasound machine and printer found a new home in Sierra Leone and is already supporting life-saving medical care.

Healthcare systems interventions, like medical equipment donations, are a critical component of supporting global health supply chains; however, medical device donations must address sustainability challenges to ensure long-term success. When TRIMEDX Foundation partners with trusted medical equipment providers stateside, it not only sends critical equipment to the right place; it ensures that healthcare staff receive equipment that is viable, within its lifespan, and repairable either through instruction from an accompanying manual or training by Foundation volunteers. We believe that strategic, sustainable donations of medical equipment can close the gap in global health outcomes.

If your organization has medical equipment, or you would like to support our global health mission, contact TRIMEDX Foundation Director Audra Plopper at 317-275-1555 or by email here. By ensuring that medical devices reach the places they are most needed, and they are effectively maintained, we can continue to deliver resources and support to ensure life-saving care and end needless suffering.

The TRIMEDX Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ingenuity, integrity, collaboration, and dignity. We support medical equipment and facility maintenance and repair in underserved communities by developing sustainable and equitable partnerships through innovation, education, and engagement. For more information on volunteer opportunities, please visit our website, www.trimedxfoundation.org