Watch Ratish's Humanitarian of the Year acceptance speech
April 23, 2025
We're so proud of Ratish and our entire team who makes the biomedical equipment and technology program at Mission Outreach possible. CLICK HERE to watch Ratish's acceptance speech at the MDExpo awards ceremony!
Kumar has been the biomedical engineer at Mission Outreach since 2017. Kumar’s role at Mission Outreach is to prepare equipment for international shipment to partners in low-resource areas around the world and provide technical support to ensure the items last as long as possible for safe patient care.
“Ratish’s work to provide high-quality biomedical equipment and technology sets Mission Outreach apart from other medical surplus recovery organizations,” said Erica Smith, executive director of Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach. “Every piece of equipment we send has been tested and is prepared according to the infrastructural capabilities of our international partners. Thanks to Ratish, the hospitals and clinics we work with can trust what they receive is what they can use and is safe for patient care.”
Kumar said he was honored to be selected as the 2025 Humanitarian of the Year and appreciates the focus the award gives to biomedical services in the global healthcare field. “This award is a great opportunity to showcase Mission Outreach partnerships with the global healthcare community, serving the most vulnerable among us. The expertise and equipment we bring, paired with the care and commitment of thousands of talented healthcare providers, provide life and hope.”
Medical equipment that is safe and effective is a tool that physicians, nurses, and clinicians can use to save patients’ lives and improve outcomes anywhere in the world. Each year, hospitals in the United States dispose of thousands of pieces of equipment that it no longer uses, but is still functional and could be used in low-resource communities that are building health systems that need biomedical equipment and technology. Mission Outreach is a vital connection between healthcare colleagues in the U.S. and around the world to promote access to clinical care for all.
More than 75 percent of medical equipment donated to Mission Outreach comes from facilities affiliated with Hospital Sisters Health System.
In 2024, Mission Outreach completed 112 shipments, valued at $5,000,000, of requested medical supplies and equipment to partners in Africa, Central/South America, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Mission Outreach world-wide partners serve a combined population service area of 28,000,000 people.
