Ohana One Mozambique 2024 Photo Recap
Twelve patients with known ages between two and forty-eight years old underwent surgery from the 12th to the 16th of August at the Maputo Central Hospital, with a view to correcting and restoring areas of the body affected by deformities and trauma.
These procedures were performed by OHANA ONE, an American international organization that provides international surgical assistance and sustained long-term training programs using advanced technology with the aim of elevating and expanding surgical care in resource-poor settings.
The foreign medical mission, made up of twenty health professionals, including surgeons, anesthetists, general practitioners and nurses specializing in burn care, worked in close collaboration with the Mozambican counterpart, throughout their stay in the largest health unit in the country.
Of the total number of surgeries performed, three are considered unprecedented due to their complexity, the first involving a fourteen-year-old teenager transferred from the province of Gaza with an elbow contracture that has lasted five years, making it impossible for him to extend his arm and perform movements.
The second complicated surgical procedure, carried out for the first time in the country, concerns a forty-four-year-old patient, who had deformities in his tibia for approximately a year, a fact that made it impossible for him to walk, according to plastic surgeon Celma Issufo.
“This patient presented with a non-union fracture a year ago and we also found bone loss in the tibia, and to correct it, specifically, we had to remove bone from one location and place it in the missing place, something never done before in Mozambique.” Underlined
The third procedure was performed on a six-year-old child who had burns and contractures on her hands, which made it impossible for her to pick up objects. Correction surgery was performed, a difficult procedure to perform and which was only possible with the support of the Americans.
Patients presented different complications resulting from burns, trauma from road accidents, dentofacial deformities, just to name a few.
According to the Doctor, these procedures, which will improve the quality of life of patients, were successful, with patients recovering clearly and being monitored by health professionals.
In addition to surgeries, the mission also promoted training actions aimed at resident doctors. (HCM-DCI)
All photos © Kelly Fogel 2024