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.
As part of the team Heart of Texas, under the organization of Operation International, we served the people of Zambia offering comprehensive head and neck care and general surgical care. It was a remarkable experience that allowed to not only provide comprehensive medical care but also allowed us to work with the local surgeons, staff, and hospital leadership to provide education and training. Upon arrival, we received a warm welcome from the locals and we were able to tour the facility and figure out what resources and equipment we had to work with and communicate with personnel expectations for the week. The following day we began screening and evaluating patients for potential surgery. We quickly screened patients and had a significant amount of time leftover that day and we decided to go out into the community and educate the local people of Zambia the surgical services being offered. We found several individuals that would benefit from our services that ended up receiving care. This was truly a highlight of the trip as we were able to really get to know the community, visit local shops, and better understand their culture. One individual that we encountered that we care cared for was a middle aged man with several hundred small subcutaneous nodules. He promptly arrived to our clinic and was then taken care of later that week. He was incredibly grateful for his care and left with an enormous smile. That experience was truly touching, especially when you think of it in the context of the simplicity of the surgery yet he was unable to receive until now.
Throughout the week we became more and more integrated with the local teams and local resident and attending physicians began honing their skills. The physicians there were engaged and constantly asking questions proactively which was a wonderful experience.
Some things that I learned about myself were my desire to teach was rekindled, I can do more with less, to be more grateful for humankind, and I am even more grateful for modern medicine and the privilege I have had to practice it.
