At the “International Operation Centre for Children in Asmara” (IOCCA), ARCHEMED surgical teams treat conditions in virtually all paediatric surgical specialties. Treatment for children at the IOCCA is free of charge.
Before its repurposing, the IOCCA was a vacant military hospital dating back to the period of Italian colonial rule, located on the grounds of the Orotta Hospital in Eritrea’s capital, Asmara. In 2002, the building was converted, furnished and equipped with modern medical technology by staff of what was then the German Children’s Heart Centre in Sankt Augustin, under the leadership at the time of Dr Andreas Urban and in cooperation with the aid organisations “Hammer Forum e. V.”, “THW” and “Karl Bröcker Stiftung”. Since 2010, it has been under the administration of ARCHEMED.
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The surgical centre is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that also stands up to comparison with European standards. There are three operating theatres, a fully equipped postoperative intensive care unit with four ventilator beds, as well as an intermediate care unit for patient-appropriate surgical follow-up care. A heart-lung machine is available for paediatric cardiac surgery; a basic operating microscope is particularly important for neurosurgical procedures. ARCHEMED’s international surgical teams operate to Western standards. Eritrean medical staff are involved in ARCHEMED’s paediatric surgical activities wherever possible, and are trained and further educated.
The surgical centre’s equipment with apparatus, devices and machines has developed continuously over the years. A photovoltaic system generates its own electricity at any time of day or night. A water treatment plant supplies the sanitary area as well as a highly modern steriliser with clean water. Oxygen, compressed air and anaesthesia systems meet today’s state of the art.
The financial outlay required to maintain this important surgical unit is high. Maintenance, repair and upkeep of the building as well as all medical technology are carried out by qualified ARCHEMED staff, who share their knowledge on site with their Eritrean colleagues. Only for the sensitive ventilation and anaesthesia systems do we require, for insurance reasons, medical technicians approved for the respective devices.
