Kids Operating Room Has Enabled One Million Surgeries
The charity has successfully reached its milestone of one million paediatric operations since its inception.
Updated on Sept. 27, 2026 in Children’s Health
Live Poll
Do you believe training local medical teams is the most effective way to improve global healthcare?
Kids Operating Room has officially reached the milestone of one million surgeries performed globally. The organization works to transform unused hospital space into specialized paediatric theatres equipped for children's care.
Why it matters
By providing sustainable infrastructure and training to local surgical teams, the charity addresses the massive global gap in safe surgical access for children. This model aims to reduce long-term morbidity by improving clinical outcomes in underserved medical facilities.
The charity operates 136 facilities across 39 countries, with each theatre containing 3,300 pieces of equipment. Partner hospitals have seen significant clinical improvements, such as a drop in sepsis rates from 19.1% to 3.8%.
The players
Kids Operating Room
This global charity specializes in transforming hospital infrastructure to provide paediatric surgery in underserved regions.
Garreth and Nicola Wood
They are the founders of Kids Operating Room who received MBEs for their humanitarian work in 2025.
The details
The organization renovates existing hospital areas to create dedicated surgical suites and provides equipment alongside training for 70 global surgeons. These improvements have notably decreased hospital stays in Nigeria from 12 days to 3 days on average.
Timeline
The founders helped establish their first operating room in 2015.
Kids Operating Room formally launched in 2018.
The charity reached 50 operating rooms by 2021.
Garreth and Nicola Wood received MBEs in 2025.
The target date for reaching one million operations per year is 2035.
The Big Picture
This milestone reflects the ongoing expansion of the Kids Operating Room global surgical model across diverse international health systems. It marks a departure from centralized aid, instead empowering local teams through sustainable infrastructure and training.
This initiative provides children in underserved regions with access to life-saving procedures that were previously unavailable. Families benefit from reduced hospital stays and lower complication rates, such as significantly lower sepsis frequency post-surgery.
The takeaway
The success of this model highlights the importance of providing both equipment and training to support local medical autonomy. Sustained investment in surgical infrastructure can dramatically shift long-term health outcomes for children in developing regions.
What happens next
The organization has set a clear goal to scale its capacity to enable one million paediatric operations annually by the year 2035.
Further reading
Learn more about global initiatives improving outcomes for youth in our Children’s Health section.
Live Poll
Do you believe training local medical teams is the most effective way to improve global healthcare?
