2007 has seen Operation Hernia become a sustainable project in Takoradi, Ghana, where it is based at the Hernia Treatment Centre which was financed by the British High Commission and constructed by the personal efforts of Mr Brian Dixon. CNR International through their operational base in Takoradi continue to provide much valued logistical support. Three international teams of surgeons from Italy, Scotland and Greece (see the “2007 Missions” webpage) utilised the Centre to treat over 150 hernias during three separate weeks.

The development of this website and the registeration of Operation Hernia as a charity in the UK has established Operation Hernia as a definitive provider of healthcare charity work in Africa. It has led to contact with a Nigerian surgeon, Professor Agbamu Sagua who joined the 2007 Plymouth mission in November, with a view to the setting up a Centre for Hernia Excellence in that country and a possible extra mission-location for Operation Hernia. Contact has also been made with a Team of volunteer medics from Canada who were carrying out an ambitious project in an area surrounding the village of Carpenter in Northern Ghana. It is possible that our volunteers could take Operation Hernia to Carpenter in 2008.

The Plymouth Mission, now in it’s third year, followed the pattern of previous visits and treated approximately 130 patients. The mesh used for the hernia repairs was sterilised mosquito net (generously provided by Scotmas), which has negligible costs. In order to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of inguinal hernia repair in Ghana, a research project was undertaken with the help of a health economist who was generously funded by an Educational Grant from Johnson & Johnson Medical (Ethicon). The results of this study will enable politicians and healthcare decision-makers to decide whether hernia repair is cost effective in relation to the number of disability-adjusted life years averted by repairing a hernia in a young man and returning him to employment and the ability to look after his family. This will be an important contribution to healthcare economics and one which will be of interest to the World Health Organisation and the World Bank to advise governments and charitable agencies about the costs of financing inguinal hernia surgery in Africa. Finally, due to the heroic efforts of Brian Dixon, the obsolete theatre light given by Derriford hospital (and transported to Takoradi by CNR International) was installed in December ready for the 2008 Teams.



Our aims for 2008 include a full programme of 10 teams visiting the Hernia Treatment Centre in Takoradi during one week for each of 10 months (see “Volunteer Dates” webpage). We will endeavour to take Operation Hernia on pilot Missions to one or two other African countries in order to utilise volunteers who have registered their interest in Operation Hernia through the website (see “Volunteer Register” webpage). We will publish the results of the health economic analysis of cost effectiveness of inguinal hernia repair in Africa and disseminate it to the relevant governmental bodies. All this we do with the generous help of our (i) cash sponsors: CR Bard, Tissue Science, British Medical Association, Atrium Medical, British Hernia Society, European Hernia Society, and (ii) our sponsors in kind were TycoHealthcare (medical supplies) Ansell (surgical gloves), Cardinal Health (sterile gowns) and British Airways (discounted flights, additional baggage).