Africa faces child surgery crisis as key anaesthesia runs out

NAIROBI:African hospitals face huge new costs as they scramble to replace the main anaesthetic for child operations that is set to run out in 2027, a charity has warned. Halothane is still widely used across sub-Saharan Africa to put children to sleep for operations, primarily because it can be seven to 10 times cheaper than the newer alternative, sevoflurane. But the last halothane manufacturer shut down its production line in India in 2023, and stocks are rapidly running out across Africa.

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