Operation International has been working with the leadership at both College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, and the Teaching Hospital, Bahir Dar University for several months to establish bases for our teams at two sites in Ethiopia.
The goal is to have a long-term presence there to allow for our teams to provide care to the local patients, particularly with complex cases, train the local staff, and at same time establish and institute patients’ care protocols to help improve outcomes.
The first mission will take place in the Felege Hiwot Hospital located in Bihr Dar. The first team that will be dispatched there will be Team NY, which has several surgeons with wide range of expertise including general surgery, paediatric surgery, maxillofacial surgery, and obstetrics and gynaecology.
The team is expected to perform approximately 100 complex cases. There will be both hands-on training and lectures conducted during the mission, and we expect to train 20 physicians and close to 50 nursing staff.
The team will serve the poor patients who either unable to pay for treatment, and/or those with complicated conditions that exceed the expertise of the local doctors.
The mission will impact many people in different ways. The patients who have been unable to get treatment will get it, which doesn't only impact the patients, but also impact their families and communities. The local doctors and nurses will receive hands-on training which should improve their abilities on providing care to their patients. The donated equipment will help both the doctors in their abilities, and provide the patients with safer outcome. Generally speaking, it is very difficult to quantify the impact a team like ours will have on the communities we serve as simple things such as inspiring younger generation can have a ripple effect that is difficult to quantify.
I recently had the privilege of participating in a surgical mission trip to Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, where I served as an otolaryngologist–head and neck surgeon. Our team provided surgical care to patients with a wide range of conditions, many of whom had been living with limited access to specialty care for months or years.
During the trip, I performed head and neck procedures including local reconstructive surgery, pediatric congenital mass excisions, thyroidectomies, parotidectomy, and other complex head and neck operations. Many of the patients we treated had conditions that significantly affected their quality of life, function, appearance, or long-term health. Being able to offer them surgical treatment was deeply meaningful.
As a group, we completed more than 100 surgeries across multiple specialties. Despite that, one of the most humbling parts of the experience was seeing just how great the need remains. There were countless patients who came seeking help, and many whose conditions were severe or longstanding. Even after operating throughout the week, there were still many patients we were unable to treat due to limitations in time, resources, and operating room availability.
This trip was a powerful reminder of the importance of global surgical outreach and the life-changing impact that access to safe surgical care can have. I am incredibly grateful to the foundation for its support, which helped make this mission possible. Your generosity directly contributed to the care of patients who otherwise may not have had access to these procedures, and it helped support a team effort that made a meaningful difference in the Bahir Dar community.
