Marc Koska's Mission

Author: Lukas Kubina

Marc Koska

Marc Koska OBE has worked tirelessly over the last 25 years on Global Healthcare. He invented an AD (Auto Disable) syringe called K1 that prevents reuse. Technically, a valve - which breaks after the single usage - is moulded in the plunger. This very easy and cheap modification makes an accidental or abusive reuse physically impossible. The product costs are at about 5 cents apiece - the average price of a normal syringe.

Marc and the K1 have been credited with saving in excess of Nine Million lives and his invention is licensed by 14 manufacturers around the developing world. All Marc's energy is now put into lobbying for legislation change with his charity The SafePoint Trust - delivering hard-hitting safe injection campaigns.

Now, the DLD friend is launching the LifeSaver campaign that is inviting all global AD syringe manufacturers to include the new LifeSaver logo and message "New Packet. Used Once. Safely Disposed" on all their packaging.The logo is distinctive and easily recognized, and will act as a unique guarantee of a safe injection.

For more information on Marc go to marckoska.com and watch his mission statement in the video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-bJpkvSo_k

What is DLD?

DLD is an inspiring community for the 21st century which features digital innovation, science and culture and brings together thought leaders, creators, entrepreneurs and investors from Europe, the Middle-East, the Americas and Asia.

DLD (Digital - Life - Design) is a three-day experience gathering 800 entrepreneurs, investors, philantropists, scientists, artists and creative minds from all over the world. With global diversity in attendees and an interdisciplinary perspective of digital, media, design, art, science, brands, consumers and society, the conference is known as the European forum for the "creative class".

Taken from DLD-Conference.com

.

In case you didn't know...

Anna Koska

Dear all,

In case you didn't know, I'm due to fly out on 25th October to Tanzania.... to climb that big volcano they've got there!

I'm not doing it for fun (it's cold up there!); I'm actually doing it, along with three other women, in the name of SafePoint.

SafePoint is a charity that was set up with the purpose of educating the next generation in safe healthcare. This is done by delivering hard-hitting public awareness campaigns. We've done this to huge effect in India in 2008, resulting (in April 2009) with the Health Minister mandating the use of Auto Disable syringes throughout all government-run hospitals.

To date, Safepoint is credited with saving well over 9 million lives!

Clare Beale, Catherine English, Ginny Simpson and Anna Koska

Why Tanzania?

Tanzania is at the forefront of safe healthcare in Africa and is one of only two countries that has converted to Auto Disable syringes in the ECSA Region (Eastern, Central and Southern Africa). With their policy already in place, trained healthcare workers and a public information film (donated by SafePoint), they are ready to reduce country medical costs and ease the HIV / Hepatitis disease burden.

We're climbing this mountain to kick off Phase 1 of this new campaign. We'll be visiting schools, orphanages and hospitals to talk to children, teachers and nurses alike... getting the simple message across: "One injection - One syringe" and donating syringes to kickstart their participation.

Some facts and figures on unsafe healthcare:

• 
  

• Each and every year, due to unsafe injections, there are:

• 23,000 HIV Infections
• 1,000,000 Hepatitis C Infections
• 21,000,000 Hepatitis B Infections
• RESULTING IN 1,300,000 DEATHS EACH YEAR (Source: WHO World Health Organisation)
• Some 17 billion injections are given each year, and 7 billion of these are unsafe medical injections (Source: Hutin 2003)
• Malaria kills 1,000,000 - so this silent epidemic kills more people each year (Source: WHO World Health Organisation)
• In Africa 20 million medical injections contaminated with blood from a patient with HIV are administered every year (Source: Reid 2009)
• At least 50% of injections given were unsafe (Source: WHO World Health Organisation)
• A syringe is used on average 7 times in the developing world
• Every 24 seconds a child dies as a result of an unsafe injection

If you feel you'd like to support me in raising money for this campaign, I'd be delighted! Just click here: http://www.justgiving.com/TheClimb-Tanzania2010

Thank you so very much for your help on this,

Anna x

PS For more information, check out this short video that was made regarding Tanzania:

Before&After Tanzania from SafePoint Trust on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/12771304

.

Ain't No Mountain High Enough!

4 mums climb Kilimanjaro to get 2m syringes donated to Tanzania

Clare Beale, Catherine English, Ginny Simpson and Anna Koska

Four brave mums are aiming high for SafePoint - they plan to climb Kilimanjaro at the end of October raising enough money to donate 2 Million AD syringes to Tanzania.

Marc Koska launched the Climb with the help of David Downard from Mountain Range Restaurants back in May and since then, offers of support have been overwhelming.

Flags will accompany the mums on the climb and are being sold for £5,000. One flag will protect 35,000 people against unsafe healthcare.

For more information or to download a sponsorship pack, email: info@safepointtrust.org

Watch the girls in training: click here.

.

Spread the word and forward this film

We make no apologies for immediately asking you to do one small thing upon reading this blog post.

Your support is invaluable in helping us bring to light the devastating consequences that unsafe injection practices can have.

Please take two minutes out of your day and click here (www.lifesaveraction.org) to see the most recent film Marc has made on the issue of injection safety.

Safe Injection Message

.

Click here to Comment on this video, and Favourite, Rate and Share it in YouTube

In it, you'll hear how fatal diseases like HIV and Hepatitis are most often spread by unsafe injections and by the everyday actions of heatlhcare workers in millions of under funded clinics in developing countries.

We would ask you please to watch the film, and then forward the link to as many friends and family as you can.

We know from our work over the past 25 years that awareness prompts action.

We're aiming to reach our target of 10 million lives saved this year, and we need your help to do so.

Thank you!

What is LifeSaver?

LifeSaver is a campaign that is inviting all global AD (auto-disable) syringe manufacturers to include the new LifeSaver logo and message "New Packet. Used Once. Safely Disposed" on all their packaging. LifeSaver represents the procedure given by a health worker and received by a patient, and can be simply adopted, free of charge, by any organisation. The logo is distinctive and easily recognized, and will act as a unique guarantee of a safe injection.

For more information, see www.marckoska.com.

Syringe re-use: not just a developing world problem - it's a global problem

A UK dentist in south Yorkshire reused his old syringes on patients

Dentist: Mohammed Siddiqui

Excerpt from From The Star newspaper:

A SOUTH Yorkshire dentist put patients at risk of deadly infection by reusing syringes, not wearing gloves and using rusty tools and filthy rags.

Mohammed Siddiqui, aged 37, from High Green, faces being struck off after he flouted hygiene rules to "maximise profit" at his Rotherham practice.

A Primary Health Lists appeal tribunal heard he reused disposable equipment, including syringes, files and impression trays, had rusty tools and "actively discouraged" the use of gloves.

Sterilising equipment was "caked" in grime and mouth wash cups were next to the waste disposal system. Surfaces were thick with dust.

Inspectors found he had no blood spillage kit or policy, his decontamination area was "not fit for purpose" and had filthy rags and scrubbing brushes.

Andrew Hockton, for Rotherham PCT, said Siddiqui was cutting corners to save money. The PCT and the Health Protection Agency is probing whether patients caught viruses.

Mr Hockton said: "Dr Siddiqui showed a total lack of regard for patient or staff safety. The inspector said it was one of the worst examples she had ever seen.

"He desired to maximise profit in a manner which put patients at risk."

Mr Siddiqui, of Reaper Crescent, High Green, set up the business on Doncaster Road, Dalton, in 2002. He was shut down after an inspection in May last year.

Siddiqui had received a letter from the PCT in April saying his practice needed a "deep clean". He removed out-of-date stock before the inspection, failed to co-operate during it and later tried to create the impression his staff were to blame.

Mr Hockton said: "He showed a wilful disregard of the principles of good dental practice and he accepts serious professional misconduct. We say that the only appropriate action is removal."

Excerpt from dentistry.co.uk:

A dentist based in Dalton, Rotherham, faces being struck off after an inspection uncovered poor infection control practise and the reuse of single-use equipment, including syringes, files and impression trays.

Mohammed Siddiqui was immediately suspended from the NHS Rotherham dental performers list after former staff raised issues about his infection control standards in 2009, prompting NHS Rotherham and the Health and Safety Executive to conduct an unannounced inspection in May 2009. This means he is not allowed to practise NHS dentistry in Rotherham.

Andrew Hockton, for Rotherham PCT, said Siddiqui was cutting corners to save money. The PCT and the Health Protection Agency is probing whether patients caught viruses.

Further reading:

• State conducts surprise inspection of UW Hospital after syringe incident

• NY Anesthesiologist Uses Syringes Twice! Hepatitis Found

.
.

Keep up with Marc and SafePoint on Twitter, Vimeo, YouTube and Facebook

Join the SafePoint team online and receive all of Marc’s updates as and when they happen.

He and his colleagues are busily tweeting at twitter.com/marckoska and twitter.com/safepointtrust, plus two recently launched SafePoint video channels on Vimeo and YouTube. These are yet more outlets for all of Safepoint's powerful video footage (including a shocking undercover film of needle re-use captured in hospitals) and will continually evolve, so make sure you visit regularly.

If Facebook is more your thing, then connect with Marc here and with SafePoint here.

TV News Report on The Climb Tanzania 2010 (aired 10 July)

Clare Beale, Catherine English, Ginny Simpson and Anna Koska

See the SafePoint team training in the Ashdown Forest, getting ready to take on the challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in this Meridian TV news report. These four brave mums are climbing to raise funds to donate 2 million auto disable syringes to Tanzania. Tanzania are at the forefront of safe healthcare in Africa, soon to become one of only two countries converted to using AD syringes in the ECSA Region. Tanzania has policy in place, healthcare workers trained and a public information film (in Swahili), donated by SafePoint and waiting to be aired.

A donation of 2 million syringes is the perfect platform from which to kick start this campaign and convert Tanzania to a safe injection country.

If you would like to donate to this cause, you can do so through Just Giving or by contacting SafePoint directly on +44 (0)1825 713722 or info@safepointtrust.org

Thank you in advance.

.