Pulse oximeters are distributed to partner hospitals and organizations through Smile Train and Lifebox

40 pulse oximeters will be distributed to 24 healthcare facilities in the Philippines by Smile Train, the largest cleft organization in the world, and Lifebox, a global nonprofit that saves lives through safer surgery and anesthesia. This will result in 52,000 safer surgeries taking place in the Philippines over the course of the next year.

“Smile Train has worked with Lifebox for over a decade to equip hospitals with essential monitoring tools that are not only necessary for cleft surgery but can be used for other medical procedures and in treating COVID-19. While Smile Train is working toward expanding our reach in more communities, we are also looking for more ways to support and invest in our local healthcare partners,” says Kimmy Coseteng-Flaviano, Smile Train’s Vice President, South East Asia.

To assist healthcare practitioners around the world in responding to COVID-19, Smile Train and Lifebox launched the global Smile Train-Lifebox Safe Surgery and Anesthesia Initiative in 2020 and jointly distributed 8,800 pulse oximeters. In order to increase access to anesthetic monitoring and make 14 million surgeries safer, the two organizations introduced the Lifebox-Smile Train Pulse Oximeter in 2022. During anesthesia and in intensive care, pulse oximeters are necessary for monitoring patients since they measure the blood’s oxygen content.

A recent report released by Smile Train and Lifebox, “A Critical Gap: Pulse Oximetry in Low- and Middle-Income Countries,” highlighted that 15% of operating beds in low- and lower-middle-income countries lack a pulse oximeter, with 42% of recovery beds unable to provide vital monitoring after surgery.

In the Philippines, San Fernando Hospital in Pampanga, Allegiant Regional Care Hospital in Lapu-Lapu City, and Tebow CURE Hospital in Davao City have all received Lifebox-Smile Train Pulse Oximeters. In the upcoming months, more partner hospitals and organizations should start receiving the pulse oximeters. As part of the global Smile Train-Lifebox Safe Surgery and anesthesia Initiative, 1,000 pulse oximeters are now being supplied to Smile Train partner hospitals across the globe for safer anesthesia care.

In 2023, Smile Train Philippines will mark the accomplishment of doing more than 75,000 cleft operations. This incredible achievement is made possible by its committed network of partners, which includes Lifebox. Lifebox helps increase children’s access to surgery and offers countrywide complete care to patients with cleft palates.

“By partnering with Lifebox to support the medical communities that our local partners operate in, Smile Train is ensuring safer surgery for every child with a cleft across the globe,” said Flaviano. Aside from the Philippines, countries including Kenya, Somalia, and Honduras have also received these pulse oximeters.