How to provide neonatal care in low-resource environments | Thomas M. Berger | TEDxGVAGrad

Drawing on historical milestones in neonatology, Professor Thomas Berger highlights the groundbreaking discoveries that revolutionised the care of infants with respiratory distress, ultimately leading to significant reductions in mortality rates. Through his personal experiences in Namibia and the implementation of low-cost interventions in low to middle income countries, he showcases how he has taken matters into his own hands and emphasises the importance of prioritising the patient's well-being above all else. In this inspiring speech, Professor Berger shows how grit and simple solutions can make a positive impact in saving neonatal babies. Thomas M. Berger is a Swiss paediatrician and neonatologist. His postgraduate training began in Switzerland and continued in the USA (residency in paediatrics at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; fellowship in neonatology at the Harvard Joint Program in Neonatology, Boston, MA; fellowship in paediatric critical care at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC). After returning to Switzerland, he led the Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at the Children’s Hospital in Lucerne for almost 20 years. In 2017, together with his wife Sabine (a paediatric nurse), he founded NEO FOR NAMIBIA – Helping Babies Survive. This Swiss NGO helps to improve neonatal care in Namibia by providing affordable and robust equipment, ensuring thorough training of local health care professionals, and measuring impact with appropriate statistics. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx