A UK doctor’s ‘game-changing’ invention could save millions of babies’ lives across Africa.
The BabySaver, developed by Professor Andrew Weeks of Liverpool Women’s Hospital, costs just £40 to produce but could transform the way newborn resuscitation is carried out.
The aim is to equip every hospital in Uganda with at least one of the simple plastic units.
Professor Andrew Weeks of Liverpool Women’s Hospital is shown with the BabySaver
The BabySaver (pictured) costs just £40 to produce but could transform the way newborn resuscitation is carried ou
The more traditional units retail for thousands of dollars and are dependent on electricity – something that cannot always be relied upon in many Ugandan health centres.
The BabySaver is a moulded plastic tray which can be placed between a mother’s legs, enabling the umbilical cord to remain intact whilst doctors treat her baby. This has important health benefits for the woman and her newborn child.
Inside, the unit contains equipment like a suction device, oxygen bag and mask, and a stethoscope, meaning vital equipment is always kept together in one place.
Professor Weeks, who works at Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Liverpool, said: ‘Each year approximately six million babies across the world require basic neonatal resuscitation and around 900,000 of these will die.
‘The vast majority of deaths occur in low-income settings where there are few facilities for newborn resuscitation at birth.
‘Where resuscitation does occur, it often happens away from the mother, or even in another room, which can be very distressing for the mother and baby.
‘The BabySaver enables resuscitation to take place at the bedside, with the umbilical cord still attached. Allowing the cord to stay intact has huge health benefits for newborn babies but it also allows the midwife to stay with the mother at a high-risk time for her.’
It is hoped that if the BabySaver is successful in Uganda it could be used across the world in areas that do not have ready access to electricity or expensive equipment. It could even be used in the UK for home births.
Professor Weeks added: ‘Studies of bedside newborn resuscitation carried out in Liverpool have shown that it is preferred by mothers and staff.
Trials have been carried out with staff and patients at the Mbale Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) in Uganda. A mother is pictured with her baby at the hospital
‘We truly believe it will be a game-changer for families across Uganda, and hopefully even further afield.’
The product has been developed in conjunction with Peter Watt, a design engineer at the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust, and James Ditai, founder and Executive Director of the Sanyu Africa Research Institute (SAfRI) in Mbale.
Dr Kathy Burgoine, head of the Neonatal Unit at MRRH, said: ‘We are delighted to be supporting Professor Weeks and his team with this project’
The prototypes have been manufactured by a team at the Bryn Y Neuadd Hospital in Gwynedd, Wales, and trials have been carried out with staff and patients at the Mbale Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) in Uganda.
Dr Kathy Burgoine, head of the Neonatal Unit at MRRH, said: ‘We are delighted to be supporting Professor Weeks and his team with this project.
‘The unit is literally a life-saver and will transform the way newborn resuscitation is carried out in our hospitals and the wider community.’
The project has been funded by Grand Challenges Canada, which funds innovative projects in low-income countries across the world, and the Sir Halley Stewart Trust, a grant-giving charity that supports innovative and pioneering social, medical and religious projects.
The BabySaver prototype was officially launched in Uganda last month when it was handed over to the World Health Organisation’s Uganda representative Dr Olive Sentumbwe. It has the full backing of the country’s Ministry of Health. T
he Intellectual Property rights have been gifted to the Sanyu Africa Research Institute to prevent commercialisation of the product and ensure the cost is kept down.
Further testing of the product will now take place to refine it. The final version will be manufactured in Uganda and distributed throughout the country.