4 Doctors, 35 Surgeries – Hungarian Medical Mission in Malawi

According to GLOBS Magazine, some weeks ago they were still on the way to Malawi, but today the 19th Medical Mission’s members of the African-Hungarian Union (AHU) are already made their way back. They have performed 35 surgeries overall during this time even though they were outnumbered.

According to the original plan four otolaryngologists and one anesthesiologist were part of the mission. Unfortunately, one of them got sick before the departure and stay behind. The mission to East Africa now was formed by a 3+1 team: Dr. László Paput, Dr. Nelli Nepp and Dr. Éva Orosz, as well as Dr. Csaba Loibl. This form meant they could have not used the good practice of the previous missions: they could have been divided in teams of two.

Albeit the hardest patient cases were waiting for them in Malawi with the sole otolaryngologist of Malawi. Among the many serious surgeries, they had to remove enlarged tumors in Blantyre in the central hospital named after Queen Elisabeth, where Hungarian doctors performed surgeries during the missions organized by AHU. Part of their mission was to train the doctors residing in the hospital.

The Hungarian doctors were a big assistance also outside the hospital walls. One morning the team stopped by a school in Jacaranda, which is also supported by African-Hungarian Union, where orphan kids attend the school. Dr. Nelli Nepp had to stay behind the team since many kids had to be checked out, while the other doctors started the operations in the hospital. More than 50 pupils and adults from the school staff were examined by our doctors.

Some serious diagnosis was given but most of the kids only needed a thorough ear wash, which was completed on the very next day. Two perforated eardrums in the absence of a quick operation was found. The doctors reached an agreement with the Malawian otolaryngologist to check on the kids with any symptoms twice a year. That afternoon the pupils hold a show to show their gratitude to the doctors. The distinguished guests of the show were not Miss Malawi, similar to the previous mission, but the French Ambassador to Zimbabwe and his wife. The doctors enjoyed the program very much.

The cultural program was not over with this show, after dinner the doctors visited the concert of Tiger, who is the hottest and most gifted singer in Malawi, in the Jacaranda Cultural Centre – we learned from Csaba Szeremley, the Malawi Office Manager of the Hungarian Trade and Cultural Center.

The volunteering Hungarian doctors had chance to get to know Africa better, in the expense of their days off from work.

They visited Lake Malawi, went on a safari, tasted crocodile meat, experienced many power blackouts and experienced the colourful Malawian markets. They visited of course Malawi, a city of 20 million inhabitants, where there is a big shortage of healers, medicines and equipment, but also shortfall of electricity too. The mission as the previous team brought donations from Hungary as many Hungarian companies supported the mission with medical equipment and medicines.

Globoport

This journey was the nineteenth medical mission and the fourth operating mission organized by AHU: previously beside the otolaryngologists neurosurgeons performed surgeries in Malawi. One team was organized with mixed composition of doctors but an unfortunate accident happened: the only MR machine in the country broke down, the mission was postponed to this autumn.

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Source: by Globoport/GLOBS Magazine