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Q & A with Star Syringe
Marc Koska (OBE) is the inventor of the non-reusable K1 auto-disable syringe.
The device's life-saving potential is enormous: between 40-50 billion injections are administered throughout the world each year. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 50% of these injections are unsafe and likely given with syringes that are re-used without sterilisation. Each year, more than 22 million people are infected with Hepatitis and HIV as a result of syringe re-use, leading to an estimated 1.3 million deaths. The problem is particularly widespread in the developing world, where more than half of all injections are made with re-used or unsterilised needles. (The WHO estimates that the typical syringe is used four times, on average, in a developing country.)
More than 1.8 billion K1 syringes have now been sold through Star Syringe, the medical technology company that Marc founded and which designs, develops, and licenses the technology. Marc later founded SafePoint, a non-profit organisation dedicated to increasing public awareness - particularly among children - about the prevalence of unsafe injections.
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Q: Star Syringe has been supporting life-saving initiatives on Peace Day and efforts to raise awareness of the day since 2006, when you first provided safe immunisation camps across a number of countries. Why did you become involved with Peace One Day?
Jeremy's enthusiasm is very infectious. It is such a logical program that he has devised. It's a logical thing to do; why would anyone not want to support a Peace Day?
Q: What message do you hope people will take away from the Peace Day initiatives that Star Syringe will be supporting this year?
I think there are two things: First, safe injections in a lifetime of unsafe injections will not change the world overnight, but what it does do is it creates awareness of the idea that you can actually always have a safe injection. In other words, it creates awareness of the ‘possibility'. The importance of simply understanding the ‘possibility' that exists is an idea that people should not only take away from the Star Syringe initiative but should also take away from the Peace One Day initiative.
And second, I hope that people realize that, if there is something wrong with the world, then we should change it. Again, this does not mean that we are going to change the world in one go, but if there is an alternative, and if we can show to others why this alternative makes so much sense, then I think we are responsible in our own ways to do so.
Jeremy is an example of someone who did this, of someone who broke through the supposed ‘ceiling' by showing that there was a better way possible. And I hope that others can also learn from his example.
Q: What would you say to those who might question the value or worth of an annual Peace Day?
I would probably answer by pointing to my own work. There are still billions of unsafe injections that occur, but that does not mean that our efforts are failing to improve the situation, to make it better. It is quite the contrary.
And I would have a similar response to someone who would question the value of something like Peace Day. To these people, I would first ask what they are doing to help create peace. People tend to quickly criticise the efforts of others. There are surprisingly few people who are willing to accept the benefit that come from our efforts. To point only to the conflict and violence that still exists is to unfortunately discredit much of the benefit that has been created, and I think that is sad.
Q: Star Syringe's own charity, Safe Point, aims to use information to solve basic healthcare problems and has, as its slogan, "Informing the Next Generation". What role do you see young people playing in the effort to achieve a day of global ceasefire and non-violence on 21 September, and is there a similar ‘information gap' that must be overcome if we are to attain this goal?
I think there is a similar information gap. And this is probably the most interesting question. I almost hope that we don't give too many options to young people. I just hope that we make Peace Day the norm. I think young people will know what is ‘right' and what is ‘wrong'. But if they are told that something is ‘wrong' too many times, it will become normal. If you become a child-soldier in a war, that becomes your sense of ‘normal', your sense of what is ‘right', and we should want to change that.
Q: What are some of the ways that you 'make peace' in your daily life?
One formula that works for me, which I learned fully maybe 10 years ago, is to simply be truthful in all levels, with myself, and with other people that I know. Being as truthful as I can be is definitely the best way that I have found, thus far, for being at peace.
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