We look on in silence from the car window as scenes of normality in central Calais, a typical Western European city, give way to the squalor and misery of the […]
Christmas appeal
BMJ Christmas Appeal: How Doctors of the World helps refugees across Europe
The BMJ has chosen Doctors of the World for this year’s Christmas charity appeal. The charity’s executive director, Leigh Daynes explains how Doctors of the World is helping to bring […]
Dave Albert: Cycling surgeons for safer surgery
Why would one ever consider cycling from Glasgow to London when there is a perfectly good train? Particularly if you choose a really hilly route, with 20 percent climbs through […]
Krishna Chinthapalli on Atul Gawande—thinker, leader, doctor, writer
In 2009, Obama convened senior politicians in the Oval Office to discuss one magazine article: why were there Medicare costs of $15,000 per person per year in the Texan town […]
Shauna Mullally on fixing the lack of medical equipment in Africa
I see a lot of medical equipment that isn’t working. In fact, that’s my job. I’m a biomedical engineer and I spend a lot of time in Africa working with […]
Iain H Wilson: Why pulse oximeters from Lifebox make such a difference
The first person I saw die accidentally from an anaesthetic accident was a kind, distinguished man in his sixties, scheduled for surgery to a large leg tumour. During anaesthesia his […]
Louise Finch: Lifebox in Uganda—following up donated pulse oximeters
Thousands of well intentioned donations are made to developing countries every year but many of these do not achieve what was hoped; they don’t make it to the intended recipient, […]
Lifebox Q and A: El Salvador—education, education, education
A pulse oximeter in the operating theatre doesn’t make surgery safer; it’s the anaesthesia provider using the oximeter effectively who will save lives. For Lifebox, the BMJ’s Christmas charity, provision […]
Geoffrey Roberts on using Lifebox pulse oximeters in Zambia
My wife and I arrived in Zambia in August 2012 for a six month placement as surgical registrars in a busy rural hospital in the Eastern Province. This was my […]
Lifebox Q and A: Togo—facing the facts and making a difference
When people talk about the crisis of unsafe anaesthesia worldwide, there’s one particular publication that is frequently referenced—it’s too shocking to ignore. “Deaths associated with anaesthesia in Togo, West Africa,” […]