Infrastructure
Even the best health professionals need adequate resources and facilities to do their jobs effectively.
That’s why United Surgeons for Children (USFC) builds and equips medical facilities in developing countries. We have unique expertise in constructing and renovating health infrastructure in low-resource contexts, with an eye to quality and affordability. And, because health should not depend on wealth, we ensure that all projects are executed to the highest medical standards – including operating theaters, medical imaging capacities and surgical equipment to a level seen in developed countries.
USFC-supported and constructed medical facilities are present in many of the most disadvantaged communities in the world, building a legacy of health for generations to come. USFC Hospital Success Stories
Maputo Heart Institute
(Mozambique, est. 2001)
Now financially independent due to diversified services allowing for free care to needy patients, the Institute is an essential reference point in the Mozambican health system.
Now financially independent due to diversified services allowing for free care to needy patients, the Institute is an essential reference point in the Mozambican health system. Cuomo Center for Pediatric Cardiology in Dakar
(Senegal, est. 2017)
The center is the first facility kind dedicated to children’s heart defects in West Africa, with the capacity to carry out 13,000 consultations and 400 surgeries every year.
The center is the first facility kind dedicated to children’s heart defects in West Africa, with the capacity to carry out 13,000 consultations and 400 surgeries every year. Kabul French Medical Institute for Mothers and Children (FMIC)
(Afghanistan, est. 2005)
The Institute recently enlarged with the opening of an OB-GYN department and performs nearly 150,000 consultations and over 3,300 surgeries. Approximately 84% of young patients are treated free of charge.
The Institute recently enlarged with the opening of an OB-GYN department and performs nearly 150,000 consultations and over 3,300 surgeries. Approximately 84% of young patients are treated free of charge. Phnom Penh Heart Center
(Cambodia, est. 2001)
Becoming part of the Cardiology Department of the Hôpital Calmette, this facility is an important treatment and training center, reaching vulnerable children with cardiovascular diseases and elevating human resources for future care.
Becoming part of the Cardiology Department of the Hôpital Calmette, this facility is an important treatment and training center, reaching vulnerable children with cardiovascular diseases and elevating human resources for future care. Andre Festoc Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Unit
(Mali, est. 2018)
This extension to the Luxembourg Mother-Child Hospital is essential to providing medical care for children with heart conditions, with 800 to 1,000 cases identified in Mali annually.
This extension to the Luxembourg Mother-Child Hospital is essential to providing medical care for children with heart conditions, with 800 to 1,000 cases identified in Mali annually. Sinjar Hospital Project with Nadia Murad
(Iraqi Kurdistan, ongoing)
Alongside 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nadia Murad, USFC is committed to ensuring access to high-quality healthcare in the Sinjar region. Together we’ve rehabilitated an emergency operating room and we are currently working on the construction of an extensive, general hospital for the local community in the aftermath of ISIS.
Alongside 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nadia Murad, USFC is committed to ensuring access to high-quality healthcare in the Sinjar region. Together we’ve rehabilitated an emergency operating room and we are currently working on the construction of an extensive, general hospital for the local community in the aftermath of ISIS. JFK Memorial Hospital Pediatric Surgery Unit
(Liberia, future project)
In answer to the crisis of the medical system in the country, USFC is rehabilitating the JFK Memorial Hospital in Monrovia by upgrading the pediatric surgery unit and renovating general facilities including operating rooms and recovery rooms.
USFC Children's Pavilions
A significant number of our young patients come from rural areas, far from hospitals and modern medical facilities. Without the financial resources for medical expenses, transportation and accommodation in the area, families often resolve to forego treatment. To overcome these financial and geographical barriers, USFC has built Children’s Pavilions in Cambodia, Afghanistan, Mozambique, Senegal and Vietnam to house and care for patients and their families prior to surgery and through recovery.
To learn more about our Children’s Pavilions, click here. Equipping a Network of Health Facilities
In addition to building and renovating medical facilities, USFC sends medical equipment and supplies within our network to guarantee that they all comply with international norms. This ensures that medical teams are able to operate successfully in their home countries.
In 2019 alone, we:
- Carried out 120 medical expeditions.
- Transferred 17 tons and 175 cubic feet of equipment and supplies including medicine, technology, compresses, syringes and other urgently needed goods.
- Purchased nearly $933,000 worth of medical supplies.
- Received $320,000 worth of medical equipment donations from our partners.
Establishing Crisis Clinics
Sometimes the places that need medical care the most emerge quickly because of disasters or conflict. In these cases, the timeline and shifting geography of crisis do not allow for building lasting, permanent structures.
USFC sets up ad hoc facilities for emergency response, including support in Haiti, Indonesia, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jordan, Libya, Sri Lanka, in Syrian refugee camps. These rapid response facilities have medical equipment, consumables and humanitarian aid that is distributed to vulnerable children and other civilians. Beyond this, USCF delivers essential medical care through surgical missions, out of country transports, and increased measures to improve intensive care admission in current facilities. 