An MP has praised a charity for its "exceptional work" in recycling unused medical equipment.
Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, visited Medi Tech Trust in Hailsham to meet its trustees and volunteers and learn more about the work they do to help recycle unused and unwanted medical equipment, as well as provide vital training to surgeons across the world.
Medi Tech Trust is a small charity of five trustees, four permanent staff and about 25 volunteers.
The charity’s work initially started as a project to raise funds for a laser machine in Eastbourne Hospital more than 20 years ago.
Since then, the charity has supplied more than £1 million worth of equipment to East Sussex hospitals and related medical services, and has also grown into a hugely important resource, collecting unwanted medical equipment which is then distributed to low-income countries, with accompanying training programmes enabling local doctors and health staff to use it.
By promoting medical recycling, Medi Tech Trust is contributing to the welfare of many patients across the world including in Africa and Asia, supplying medical equipment that would otherwise be unavailable to them.
One of the most recent projects of the charity has been delivering medical supplies including fracture boots to Ukraine.
Medi Tech Trust is one of only two charities in the UK carrying out this work.
For its local as well as world-reaching work, Medi Tech Trust was received The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2021.
Ms Ghani said: "Medi Tech Trust is a fantastic local charity, whose exceptional work is making a significant contribution not only to local hospitals in East Sussex, but also across the country and overseas.
"It was a pleasure to meet the team of trustees and volunteers behind this unique scheme and see how the vast amounts of donated and recycled equipment are processed before making a positive difference to thousands of patients globally."
The original article is available here.
