Edinburgh duo who have brought life-saving surgery to children in 40 countries honoured.
A Scotland-based charity whose work has helped make possible over 800,000 life-changing children’s operations across nearly 40 countries has seen its founders honoured with honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the University of Dunde
Garreth Wood MBE and Nicola Wood MBE, behind Kids Operating Room, were recognised for transforming access to safe surgery for children in some of the world’s most underserved communities.
The scale of activity currently flowing through the charity’s Dundee operations hub illustrates the pace of that work. In June alone the Centre for Global Operations procured, packaged and shipped four entire children’s operating rooms, destined for hospitals in Ethiopia and Tanzania.
Equipment is now on its way to the first of three West Bank locations, part of a wider, life-saving project in Palestine, and is now in Hebron. A further consignment bound for South Sudan is due to depart at the start of July.
Since its founding in Edinburgh in 2018, Kids Operating Room has installed 133 specialist paediatric operating rooms across Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and, following an installation of 6 theatres for children last year, Ukraine.
Garreth Wood MBE said: “Children are still dying from conditions we can treat in minutes in this country. That is the injustice that drives everything we do.
“To receive this recognition from the University of Dundee, in the city where our team ships life-saving equipment to hospitals around the world every single day, means a great deal.
Nicola Wood MBE added: “The real story has always been about the children whose lives have been changed and the dedicated people working every day to make that happen.
“To be honoured by the University of Dundee means a great deal, this is the city where so much of our work comes to life, where our team loads operating rooms onto trucks bound for some of the most challenging places on earth. We’re proud of what we’ve built.
From its Dundee warehouse, operating theatre equipment, surgical instruments and specialist supplies are prepared and shipped to partner hospitals, with the logistics team coordinating installations across some of the world’s most challenging environments.
The charity’s model goes beyond equipment. Training programmes have produced dozens of specialist paediatric surgeons across Africa, including in countries that previously had no dedicated children’s surgeons. Investment in biomedical engineering, nursing and clinical training means expertise stays in-country long after projects are complete.
From solar-powered operating rooms in hospitals with unreliable electricity to a groundbreaking project with NASA exploring advanced oxygen generation technology, Kids Operating Room continues to find practical solutions for the world’s most remote hospitals.
Kids Operating Room has bases in Edinburgh, Dundee and London. The organisation works with local surgical teams in low- and middle-income countries to design and build specialist operating rooms for children and advocates globally for better access to safe surgery.
