Building Stronger Health Systems with EECC: Highlights from the SATA 2025 Conference
At the 9th Annual Scientific Conference of the Society of Anaesthesiologists of Tanzania (SATA), EECC Global’s founder Karima Khalid delivered a powerful presentation on a topic that affects every health worker, patient, and policymaker: how to ensure critically ill patients get the care they need to survive.
Her message was clear—millions of lives can be saved through Essential Emergency and Critical Care (EECC), a package of simple, low-cost treatments like oxygen therapy, IV fluids, and vital signs monitoring. Yet tragically, many critically ill patients never receive this care.
Karima speaking at SATA 9th Annual Scientific Conference
Karima shared case studies of patients whose lives were lost because EECC wasn’t provided in time. She presented sobering data from the African Critical Illness Outcomes Study, which shows that most critically ill patients in Africa are treated in general wards rather than intensive care units—and that many of them do not receive even the most basic interventions.
Why? Often it’s due to a lack of training, resources, or systems that prioritise these essential treatments. That’s where EECC comes in. It's a practical approach that can be delivered anywhere in a hospital—not just in ICUs—and it focuses on 40 clinical processes and 66 hospital readiness requirements that any facility can work toward.
Karima made the case that EECC is not just about saving lives—it’s about strengthening entire health systems. It’s low-cost, feasible, and already being adopted in Tanzania. She highlighted how the Tanzania National Strategic Plan is integrating EECC into health facilities, even at the primary care level.
Karima taking part in the panel
The theme of this year’s SATA conference—Promoting Safe, Accessible and Sustainable Anaesthesia for Every Child—reminds us that quality care should be available to everyone, not just a lucky few. Karima’s presentation showed how EECC is making this vision a reality, one intervention at a time.
You can download and review the slides here.