Medisend pioneered the first and largest comprehensive mobile biomedical equipment test and repair lab for developing country biomedical technicians and hospitals. There are over 4,100 laboratory repair tools, supply items, and state-of-the-art test and calibration devices in the Lab Kit. The Labs have been deployed to more than 23 countries around the world, including Angola, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Haiti, Colombia and Papua New Guinea. It remains the largest mobile test and repair lab of its kind in the world.
There is a wonderful human interest story surrounding the Lab Kit. A few years ago a pediatric heart surgeon traveled from the United States to Dikembe Mutombo’s hospital, in Democratic Republic of Congo, for an emergency open heart surgery on a little girl. Dikembe founded the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, named in honor of his mother who died in Congo of a stroke in 1998.
While the surgeon was in route, one of the critical pieces of equipment required for the surgery broke down. As a result, the hospital wanted to cancel the operation and the doctor’s trip. Fortunately, Medisend had trained and equipped two technicians the year prior for Dikembe’s hospital. Using the Medisend Mobile Lab Kit and the skills and training that they had learned at Medisend, they successfully repaired the critical piece of equipment. The specialist heart surgeon continued his trip to the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, and successfully performed the operation on the child and saved her life!
It’s stories like this that inspire us to continue our mission of Sending Hope and Saving Lives, and helping to improve the quality of healthcare for families and communities in need in developing countries.