UHNM donates potentially life-saving incubators to remote Kashmir hospital

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) has donated five potentially life-saving incubators to a remote hospital in northern Kashmir. 
 
NICU teamed up with Midland Doctors, a UK-based nonprofit organisation to arrange the donation to the Neonatal Unit at the Bangrilla Community Hospital in Azad Kashmir.     
 
It’s hoped the incubators, which were replaced as part of the ongoing UHNM updates to NICU equipment, and are currently being delivered to the hospital, will help medical volunteers provide neonatal care to thousands of patients a year. 
 
Katy Edwards, NICU Matron, said: “NICU were delighted to partner with Midlands Doctors to provide access to this level of advanced equipment to patients that would not have been possible otherwise. 
 
“We worked with colleagues from UHNM’s clinical technology department to ensure that all procedures and paperwork were completed correctly, and that the incubators could be safely transported to their new destination in Kashmir.
 
“There are plans to provide virtual training sessions for our international neonatal colleagues and support regular updates between the teams, to share how the incubators have made a difference to preterm babies, who may not have been able to be nursed in incubators and receive the same level of care provided here at UHNM.”
 
Midlands Doctors was established in 2005 to provide free healthcare in response to an earthquake which killed 89,000 people in northern Kashmir. Over 600,000 people from the remote region have received treatments including interventional radiology, urology and women’s health.    
 
Mr Rahim Amin, Diagnostic Radiographer at Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Midlands Doctors Executive Trustee said: “To work with UHNM is really exciting for us, and to utilise the expertise of our colleagues bringing about positive changes concerning children's health is truly humbling for those involved. For us at Midland Doctors, it’s absolutely amazing to see the project grow in this manner, where we can network with such valuable expertise and resources from UHNM. We extend our gratitude and would like to thank UNHM for its assistance.”