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Kenyan Hospital Replaces Animals in Surgical Training

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Kenyan Hospital Replaces Animals in Surgical Training
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A partnership formed at a 2025 surgery conference in Chicago has transformed surgical training at Kijabe Hospital in rural Kenya. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, through its Medical Simulation Fund, purchased more than $35,000 worth of simulation materials, including synthetic bones, skin, limbs, and tiny synthetic blood vessels. These devices have replaced freshly killed goats and chickens in courses for surgeons and emergency medicine doctors, as well as live rabbits that had been requested for teaching microsurgery.

Key Highlights
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  • The Physicians Committee’s Medical Simulation Fund provided Kijabe Hospital with 54 devices, including synthetic bones, skin, and limbs, to replace animals in surgical training.
  • Tiny synthetic blood vessels now replace live rabbits previously requested for teaching microsurgery, a technique using operating microscopes to repair blood vessels and nerves.
  • This was the first international award under the Medical Simulation Fund, which launched in January 2025 and provides financial support to medical centers seeking to replace live animals with human-based technology.
  • The fund has also backed proof-of-concept labs for a university transplant surgery program and a major medical device company.
  • The Physicians Committee is encouraging medical centers and companies to apply for funding through its website at www.pcrm.org/simfund.

Statements
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We were honored to help Kijabe Hospital make this change and improve patient care. This project demonstrates how advanced simulation technology can provide effective training while eliminating the use of animals in surgical education. We look forward to supporting more institutions as they make similar transitions.

  • Christine Kauffman, manager of medical education programs, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

About the Organizations
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Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research, and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in education and research.
Kijabe Hospital is a hospital in rural Kenya that trains surgeons and emergency medicine doctors serving the region.

Learn More
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News Release: “New Era” - Kenyan Hospital Replaces Animals in Surgical Training Thanks to Funding From U.S. Doctors Group
Physicians Committee Medical Simulation Fund