News & Events

Since the initiation of an Operation Hernia site at the Awojobi Clinic in Eruwa, Nigeria in 2009, six more successful missions have taken place, and Eruwa has become a centre of Hernia excellence in Oyo State. At the instigation of Operation Hernia volunteer Ramon Vilallonga fundraising was started in 2010, and enough money has been raised to build a Hernia Centre. The inaugural mission to the Centre will be lead by veteran volunteer from Spain Dr Teresa Butron

Rwanda was a very pleasant surprise. The country has recovered from the genocide that ravaged the country 20 years ago. The people are very welcoming. The capital Kigali has been rebuilt. It is a very clean city. Commerce is booming. French used to be the lingua franca until after the genocide. English is now taught in schools. We were so embraced by the city I have already started planning a return in 2013. A visit to the Genocide Memorial was both emotionally challenging and hugely instructive. From Chris Oppong

Our first mission to India was to the hospital run by Dr Ravidranath Tongaonkar (Ravi), the Indian rural surgeon who popularised the use of mosquito net mesh for hernia repair. The opportunity to work with Ravi was therefore not to be missed. From the start Ravi worked with speed and efficiency to organise a mission for us, which included 8 days of operating (during which we treated over 134 cases), one day of teaching and a long weekend touring the Eloora and Ajanta caves which are India’s number one and two World Heritage sites (with the Taj Mahal in third position!)

International Federation of Rural Surgeons meeting in Eruwa, Nigeria, October 2011 at which Andrew Kingsnorth was elected a Council member.

Veteran Operation Hernia volunteer Magdi Hanafy has been nominated for the British Medical Journal "Improving Health" Karen Woo Award. The award has been newly set up to recognise the commitment and bravery to humanitarian medicine of Karen Woo who was murdered while delivering basic healthcare to some of the most needy people in rural Afghanistan in August 2010.

Magdi's exceptional personal strength has been identified as his organisational abilities prior to a trip; raising funds, arranging visas, buying equipment, finding local translators and accomodation on the ground.

The selection of the winner of the award from among 4 nominees, will take place on 25th May in London.