Here is what Lifebox says:

Our vision isn’t just about distributing hardware and it doesn’t stop with pulse oximetry.  The provision of equipment is a nod, not a solution, to the dangerous shortfalls in global health provision.  Education, training, and peer support are key.

Lifebox is working for sustainable changes of practice that will ultimately raise the safety and quality standards of global healthcare.

This is reflected in our statement of purpose:

1. To preserve and protect the health of patients worldwide by providing … equipment and support services in low resource and lower-middle income countries at no or reduced cost.

2. To advance the education in healthcare … by the provision of education and training worldwide.

I met the Lifebox staff and volunteers at the American Society of Anesthesiology annual meeting in Washington D.C. early this week.  One of their board members is Canada's own Dr. Angela Enright of Victoria B.C.  Lifebox is gaining momentum through Anesthesia Societies around the world.

Dr. Gwen Boyd is a member of the staff at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.  She is spearheading efforts to raise the funds within Alabama to equip the 300 operating rooms in Ecuador that may be without oximetry.  http://www.lifebox.org/sweet-home-alabama/

But the efforts of Lifebox are not JUST about oximeters.  Education is prime!  Safety comes through knowledge and not just about equipment.  I have offered to connect Dr. Boyd with one of the government public servants in Ecuador so that she can explore options for a Lifebox program in Ecuador.

John Lilley,

Secretary of CAMTA