As part of team Heart of Texas, my role is to provide much needed head and neck surgical care, as a practicing otolaryngologist, to those who lack access to these critical healthcare needs. We aim to serve underserved areas in different countries particularly in Africa. I had the privilege of serving last year and providing surgical care to those in Uganda with plans to now serve the people of Zambia alongside local healthcare providers.
There are many places in Africa that do not have access to advanced head and neck care. The people that we aim to serve this year are those in Zambia who do to poverty, lack of resources, or transportation issues do not have access to this critical need. We also aim to work with the local healthcare providers as they provide much needed healthcare and learn alongside us.
For reference, we were able to reach the people of Uganda and we worked along side many medical students and residents that were local to the area and they learned many things related to head and neck care including aftercare. We also worked with the local hospital leader to ensure appropriate follow up for these patients. Additionally, we ensured appropriate ongoing communication with the local healthcare providers should any questions or concerns arise after our departure. We plan to implement this same strategy with the local healthcare providers.
