Renovation of the Asmara burns unit

In Eritrea, burn victims are treated at the Halibet Hospital in Asmara. Since 2000, there has been a special care centre here with a spacious operating theatre and a ward for around 20 patients. For the first time in Eritrea, severely burned patients can now be properly treated and operated on. Every year, around 250 surgical procedures are performed here, some of which take several hours, and thousands more dressings are applied. Unfortunately, most of the victims are children. ARCHEMED supports the burns unit in Asmara by sending a medical team twice a year to treat the most seriously injured, who require complex reconstructive surgery with extensive skin grafting.

The ward and operating theatre were completely renovated and expanded in 2006–2008. In 2019, a photovoltaic system was installed on the roof of the operating theatre to compensate for the recurring power outages in the municipal grid. Unfortunately, serious structural damage has occurred over the years, partly due to the difficult climatic conditions. Due to unusually heavy rainfall, the roof with the mounted PV system has become leaky, causing mould to form in the operating theatre and ultimately even rain into the operating room. It was no longer possible to treat children with burns in these rooms in a responsible manner, especially since these patients, in particular, require impeccable hygiene due to the acute risk of infection.

Since the Eritrean government was unable to free up funds for the renovation of the building, ARCHEMED took on this task. Together with an Eritrean construction company, our volunteer craftsmen and technicians are repairing and renovating the roof and operating theatre of the burns clinic. The roof has already been replaced and is now watertight. The walls of the operating theatre have been cleared of mould and will be painted with a special paint. In this context, the water supply will also be renewed and a water container will be erected, housing a new, large water tank including a pump and water distribution.

In October 2024, another major ARCHEMED craftsmen’s mission will take place: then the missing guttering will be installed on the roof and the PV system will be reassembled. The floor in the entire operating theatre area will be renewed and a new operating lamp will be installed.

In 2025, ARCHEMED will also take care of the clinic’s patient wing, as renovation of the rooms and sanitary facilities is also urgently required here.