In July 2024, AHA Founder & Vice President Dr. Baker Henson joined Dr. Nelson Msiskah from Kamuzu Central Hospital and Kabudula’s staff for four intense days of surgical camp at Kabudula Community Hospital.
Together, they completed a very impressive 70 surgical procedures!
Here are three patients who all suffered from years with untreated goiters, an enlarged thyroid gland most frequently caused by lack of iodine in one’s diet. While many people with access to routine medical care may have the condition diagnosed during a routine medical exam, in resource-strapped Malawi, many goiter patients go years without proper diagnosis and treatment. Large goiters can be life-threatening when they cause difficulty swallowing or breathing.
Read on to meet Patson, Thandie, and Felida.
Patson photographed before his procedure.
Patson shows off the scar where a goiter was removed from his neck.
Patson Nkhoma, 41 years, Kasiya Village
Patson’s goiter first appeared in 2021 when it caused him a lot of pain and discomfort and caused him to fail to work. At first, he sought help at Kasiya Health Center, which referred him to Kabudula Community Hospital. He was encouraged because he talked to a friend who was operated on at Kabudula for a different condition. "That's when I came so that I may be helped. After I came to Kabudula, they told me to leave a phone number so that they would call me to give me a date," he said. Patson comes from the village of Kasiya, which is one hour away by motorcycle, a K10,000 (approximately $5.50) fare one way. Patson is so grateful for the help that has finally come and believes the pain is gone. He is also very thankful that his transport was paid for by AHA, which made the treatment possible. He hopes AHA does more surgical camps, for they are life-saving.
A day after surgery, Thandie is relieved to have her goiter gone after seeking help for more than three years.
Thandie Kanzati, 36 years old, Nsalu Village
Like Patson, Thandie’s goiter first appeared in 2021. At first she sought help from Kabudula Community Hospital where she was referred to Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe. She did not receive surgical help because the waiting list was too long. In June of this year, she returned to Kabudula and was told about AHA’s July surgical camp. She was booked and is so happy she got the help she needed. Nsalu is a 30 minute drive to Kabudula and the one-way fare is about K1,500 ($0.83). Thandi is so happy she got the help she needed after going around looking for help for years, and says her life will not be the same she has the relief from all the stress she had. “Thank to AHA for the help, please help more people who have similar ailments.”
Felida before her surgery.
Felida proudly stands the day after her goiter was removed.
Felida Ketani, 64 years old, Mphonde Village
Felida’s goiter first appeared in 2020 and had affected her life in many ways. She was in pain and could not carry heavy loads on her head or contribute to household chores like fetching water. At first, she sorted help from a traditional healer but that was ineffective. Later, Felida heard about AHA from a friend who visited Kabudula seeking treatment for a different condition. Felida visited Kabudula and was told to leave her contact details so that she could be contacted about when to come back for an operation. Felida comes from Mphonde Village, a two-hour drive that costs pays k7,000 ($3.90) one way to get to Kabudula Community Hospital. She's happy that AHA has relieved her from pain and that she will be healthy again. “Thanks to Access Health Africa for the help, which I never saw coming.” She asks AHA to continue the great program, for they relieve a lot of pain.