Medical Outreaches

Inhambane, Mozambique, June 2017

Mrs Angelika Böhmer
This was our third outreach at Inhambane hospital over the past four years and we have built good relationships with the local staff during this period. On our first outreach we were met with a degree of mistrust but this time we experienced a hearty welcome and excellent cooperation from our old friends there. Unfortunately, since our last outreach the local surgeon has left. This makes our intervention even more urgent because no cataract surgeries are done on a regular basis at the hospital anymore and the backlog becomes increasingly larger over time.
Our team consisted of surgeon Dr. J. Pons from the Good Shepherd Hospital in Swaziland assisted by two of his ophthalmic nurses and an administrative lady, four helpers from our clinic at Zavora and two of us from South Africa.
We spent long hours in theatre and were able to do 130 surgeries in five days. The team from Swaziland was very well organized for this mammoth task and it worked like a well-oiled machine! We thank them for their hard work and commitment and financial and other contributions!
I’d like to mention a few highlights: Teresa* (age 34) had become blind due to cataracts some time ago. As a result, her husband left her even though she was pregnant. Her 9 year old son had to do many of the chores and even tried to do some jobs to earn a little bit of money. Life was very difficult for them. After her daughter was born she had to take care of her without being able to see and so a community worker brought her to the hospital. The morning after the surgery there was quite a commotion among the patients and spectators when for the first time this young mother was able to see her little baby who was then already about four months old. It’s easy to imagine what a difference the outreach made in the life of this little family.
One of the patients who came for screening was Paolo*, a boy of 10 years old who had a cataract in his left eye. The hospital made an anaesthetist available so that Dr Pons could operate. Children of this age cannot have surgery under local anaesthetic and on other outreaches we have to send them away. We were very happy that we could help him and the next morning he was overjoyed when he could see.
Another highlight for the team was our accommodation and we want to express our heartfelt thanks to the people who made it available to us.
Much more could be said but space is limited. We thank God that we could do the work and that the gospel was preached. We pray His blessing on both.
* Names changed for privacy reasons.

Aid to Africa, Personal Testimony

by Miss Mirjam Rüttimann
During the weekend of the 28th to the 30th of July 2017 I was on duty at the maternity ward of the DFL clinic in Zavora and was called to the ward for a delivery. During this time Dr. Deborah and a friend of hers, Rebecca from Germany, were visiting us. They had told me to call them if there were labour cases and so I called them that evening.
While we were busy preparing for the delivery another lady arrived. We only have one bed for deliveries so I put her into the maternity ward. When I checked how far she was with the labour I realized that the baby was laying feet first and this by full cervical dilatation! That’s a fearful diagnosis if one is out in the bush because it means that the lady needs a caesarean immediately. The chances that the baby would survive labour with feet first was not very high. I decided to immediately transfer her to the hospital in Inharrime but as we were preparing the transfer she started to push and the next moment the baby’s legs were out. So we had no chance to transfer her to the hospital and I could just pray that the child would survive the labour. I took the child by the legs and the next moment the child was born. The baby was crying and everything was fine.
Then as we were waiting for the placenta we noticed that something was wrong. I checked again and found that there was another baby coming. It was twins!! I have never had a twin labour in my life, only through a caesarean. Everything went so well that we only can thank God! He is the best doctor and with Him everything is possible.]]>

Petro Yasita is the chief of 12 small villages and was completely blind before he had cataract surgery. His smile speaks for itself…

We are so thankful to report that we just finished two successful medical outreaches in Malawi. The Doctors For Life International (DFL) teams camped at both places and each area offered its own challenges. The first outreach was near Mangochi (at the southern tip of lake Malawi). At first it was a challenge finding patients but the local tribal chiefs were very supportive and even brought patients to us! In total we saw about 725 patients with eye problems. We did approximately 34 eye surgeries (cataracts, trachoma and even cancer removals), treated 220 with eye drops and 267 received free reading and distance eye glasses. The medical team included Dr Theunis Botha (Ophthalmologist), Miss Sandra Grunewald (ophthalmic nurse), Mrs Angelika Bohmer (general nurse), and Mr Pieter Bos (microbiologist). Local Malawi medical staff also assisted. The team camped on the local school grounds. Students and children from the community were eager for health education sessions. Hundreds of children surrounded our campsite!

The other location we worked was south in the Phalombe district, Mambala, on the eastern border of Malawi and Mozambique. We worked in the same area the previous year. The local Member of Parliament, the honourable MP Dennis Phiri, is fully supportive of the work. Dr Bruce Philips, the Ophthalmologist, was joined by his wife Nikki who assists him in his private practice. Miss Grunewald, the ophthalmic nurse, stayed on for the second outreach as well, assisting Dr Philips in theatre. Mr Bekanese, a Malawian ophthalmic technician also assisted at times. A total of 38 surgeries were performed under challenging conditions. Outside temperatures were as high as 40 degrees celsius.

In addition to the ophthalmic staff, the medical team was joined by dentist, Dr Herbert de Graaf, who pulled 345 teeth in one week! He also screened approximately 317 dental patients. On the final evening the dental team worked until 11pm. Even Dr Philips, after completing his eye surgeries, helped the dental team with suturing. About 200 patients received eye glasses and about 100 were helped with eye drops and medication. The community was extremely thankful and receptive to DFL’s help in the region. The medical work also opened new doors for sharing the love of Christ in these needy regions. Devotions were held before the start of the clinics each day and were received with open arms. Many children also attended the meetings at the schools where the teams camped.

Lastly, we are making plans to move a specially designed mobile clinic to Malawi to start our second permanent clinic (our first clinic was started in Zavora, Mozambique, in 2003). We plan to use the mobile clinic in Malawi, a large 4 ton unit pulled by a truck that was donated by Medical Mission International, until we obtain sufficient funds to construct a building there. We have been allocated land in a remote area called Chikuluma, near the Lewonde National Park. Our first step is to register DFL in Malawi and then the formal application process begins. It is uncertain how long this process will take but we hope it will be completed soon!

Thank you to all who joined hands with us on this medical outreach in Malawi. Your contribution made a huge difference to the lives of many people who are now able to see again and has also been a positive influence on the community as a whole.

During July 2014 Doctors for Life had the opportunity to go to Malawi for a very successful and blessed outreach. We were able to do 129 cataract operations and an total of 562 glasses were handed out, as well as 62 protective sunglasses to patients after cataract operations were performed. Many wonderful testimonies were received by the patients. The joy they expressed for being able to see again after being blind for so long, is evident in the following testimonies:

“I am so thankful to God and Doctors for Life to make me see again. I will be able to do all my domestic chores on my own now.” – Ellena Nankani “I am very, very happy and smile all day. I will now be able to cook for myself and do whatever I could not do for a long time now. Many thanks to God and Doctors for Life for visiting this area and to bring back my sight.” – Alisinet Likhomo “I am very happy. I was not able to tend to my garden anymore myself. Now that I am able to see again I will be able to do that. I thank God and Doctors for Life for healing me.” – Kenson Gwetsani “I am so happy to be able to read again. Now I can read my Bible and learn more about God. Thank you very much to God and Doctors for Live for coming to us and helping us.” – Chola Nchome “I dropped out of school many years ago because of bad eyesight. Now that I have received these glasses and can see well again. I want to go back to school and finish my education.” – Mary Chidi (72 years old)

[caption id="attachment_1549" align="alignright" width="145"] After the operation[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1551" align="alignright" width="145"] Eye patches removed[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1550" align="alignright" width="145"] Sunglasses[/caption]]]>

It is a privilege for Doctors for Life to report back on a very blessed medical outreach to Mozambique at the end of March, 2014. Not only were we able to perform ±92 cataract operations in the hospital at Inhambane (the Capital of the Inhambane Province in Mozambique), but we were also accompanied by two medical doctors, and were able to assist many patients at the Zavora clinic with general medical problems.]]>