$9m gift for Starship

A family of lifelike medical manikins that can cry and cough have pulled in the largest ever donation to Auckland’s Starship national children’s hospital — $9 million. The gift from a family trust associated with New Zealand medicines firm Douglas Pharmaceuticals has been used to set up an endowment fund for training children’s health workers on the hi-tech manikins. The Starship Simulation Programme has six computer-controlled manikins ranging from a premature baby to a 14-year-old. The manikins can cry, cough, suffer a seizure, show symptoms of a blocked airway, and go into respiratory or cardiac arrest. They help to train children’s doctors, nurses and other staff. The Douglas family have contributed to several Starship projects spanning 23 years.