Mayo fundraising effort helps build 'critical' trauma care centre in Kenya

A major fundraising campaign across County Mayo has helped fund the construction of a vital Trauma Care Centre in Londiani, Kenya.

In 2023, Londiani was the scene of a devastating road accident when a lorry crashed into roadside stalls, killing 52 people and injuring hundreds more. Dr Bridget Hughes, an Orthopaedic Surgeon at Mayo University Hospital, said the tragedy “exposed the glaring gaps in trauma care management” across the region.

Dr Hughes praised the rapid response of the charity Brighter Communities Worldwide, which provided crucial support despite the extremely limited hospital resources.

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“Brighter Communities Worldwide immediately sprang into action, supporting the emergency response at Londiani Sub-County Hospital,” Dr Hughes explained. “The strong foundations they’ve built in Londiani really came to the fore — workers and volunteers on the ground did lifesaving work against all odds, as facilities were, frankly, more than limited.”

The tragedy highlighted an urgent need to improve trauma care systems.

“This devastating road tragedy served to concentrate the minds of the people on the ground and showed the urgent need to strengthen training in trauma care management for hospital staff and community volunteers, along with the need for a dedicated space at the hospital to assess and treat patients with dignity."

The nearest facility equipped to handle major trauma cases was over 50 kilometres away.

“The basic trauma care that happens following an accident is absolutely crucial, I can’t overstate this. We call this the Golden Hour. We use this term in trauma care to highlight how an injured patient has 60 minutes from time of injury to receive skilled care after which the risk of death or permanent disability increases significantly. Every second counts,” Dr Hughes emphasised.

In response, Dr Hughes partnered with Brighter Communities Worldwide to plan and build a new Trauma Care Centre — with crucial financial support from the people of Mayo.

“The people of Mayo responded to our call for help,” she said. “They climbed Croagh Patrick, took part in sea swims and Westport Sea 2 Summit adventure race, and held bake sales. My colleagues in MUH who organised these events raised a whopping €17,000 in no time at all”

Thanks to that collective effort, the new Trauma Care Centre in Londiani will be officially open on Thursday, November 6. The ribbon will be cut by Caitriona Ingoldsby, the Irish Ambassador to Kenya, with Dr Hughes travelling to Londiani for the ceremony.