Möhnesee/Hamm, April 1, 2025. A ten-member team of surgeons, orthopedists, anesthetists, and nurses traveled again to Tosamaganga Hospital in Tanzania in mid-February. Under the leadership of Dr. Naim Farhat, Chief Physician of Pediatric Surgery at Johanniter-Kliniken Hamm, the specialists worked in two teams and were able to provide surgical care to a total of 48 children during the 16-day mission.
After a 36-hour journey, over 90 children were already waiting for the Archemed team – a total of 118 children were presented to the surgical team. This time, the high number of patients with severe burns was striking. “Four-year-old Kiliba remained firmly in our memory: she suffers from old burn injuries, especially on her hand and arm, which have led to severe deformities of the hand and fingers,” reports Stefan Zug, an operating room nurse from Hamm. “The surgical care of child burn victims is generally very complex; Kiliba’s operation lasted a total of six hours.” In addition to treating the many burn victims, the focus was on complicated orthopedic deformities such as hip dislocations or malformations and clubfeet.
However, medical development aid means far more than surgical care. Another focus of the mission was the training and further education of local specialists. “It is wonderful to see that we can already observe further development during our second mission at Tosamaganga Hospital,” says project leader Dr. Naim Farhat, “the cooperation with the local specialists is intensive and enriching.” For the first time, a team for patient aftercare was formed together with the Tanzanian pediatrician and nurses. In this context, for example, a treatment plan was developed. Thus, in addition to the children, the local specialists particularly benefit from the missions of the German team. But for assistant doctors like Sergio Bendeck from the Hamm Johanniter-Kliniken, development aid is also a great enrichment – both professionally and personally.
Archemed plans to continue supporting Tosamaganga Hospital with expertise, medical equipment, and materials in the future to further improve the quality of treatment and enable a better future for children. To continue the project, Archemed requests donations: www.archemed.org/spenden, donation account IBAN: DE63 4145 0075 0000 0882 03 (Sparkasse Hellweg-Lippe).
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The team was accompanied by filmmaker Janis Farhat in 2024. A 40-minute documentary was created, which can be viewed online here: www.project-tosa.de/film