Southampton Children's Hospital Team Brings Life-Changing Care to Children with Disabilities in Eswatini
We’re very proud of a small team from Southampton Children’s Hospital (SCH) who recently dedicated their own time and expertise to travel to Eswatini, Africa, to provide life-changing care for children living with disabilities.
Their work has not only improved the health of these children but has transformed their lives and the lives of their families.
The multidisciplinary team was made up of consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeons, Matthew Barry and Alexander Aarvold, specialist paediatric physiotherapist Catherine May, occupational therapist Georgia Richards, and paediatric orthopaedic advanced clinical practitioner, Katie Watts.
It was very humbling to see the immense challenges faced by patients in a low-resource healthcare setting. We were so pleased to be able to make a positive impact on their challenging young lives.
The team’s work was profound. From helping young children to stand and walk for the first time, to providing corrective surgery on the legs of young girls who had previously been excluded from their village due to their bone deformities. These were the first ever corrective operations performed on disabled children in this country.
It’s incredible what can be achieved with very little resources. The support and education being provided to families and communities has already made a real difference.
We’re incredibly proud of our staff’s commitment to making a difference - both abroad and at UHS. 💙