25 February 2025 (Last updated: 27 Feb 2025 16:47)
The current BSSH LION Hand Team
Zebiba (consultant), Zak (registrar), Meryl (therapist), Kachitsa (consultant)
& Bright (hand fellow)
The BSSH LION project begins its third year in good health. There is no shortage of high calibre volunteer surgeons and therapists all keen to get a “piece of the action” in this ambitious global project to develop a sustainable hand unit in Malawi. The current team comprises a Plastics, Reconstructive and Hand surgery consultant from Ethiopia, Zebiba Meka, our UK Plastics & Reconstructive surgery trainee Zak Vinnicombe, Malawian Hand Fellow Bright Mwafulirwa, Malawian Orthopaedic consultant Precious Kachitsa, UK Hand Therapist Meryl Glover (who is out for the third year running) and Malawian Hand Therapist Lucius. A special mention for Emma Bamford UK Therapist who “held the fort” at Benetolo House (sole member of BSSH team) over the Christmas break until the 13th Jan, due to last minute changes in the surgical rota.
In Malawi it’s hot and wet as it is the rainy season. There has been a major fuel crisis which has persisted in the country meaning that volunteers have sometimes had to take a taxi to work or spend 8 hours waiting for fuel at the gas station. Petrol cans are not allowed either. Other challenges for the team were repairs for the car including a broken boot and a wing mirror and a flat tyre.
Zak keeping the tyres in good condition - essential on Malawian roads
Benetolo House provides a calm haven after busy working day / Newest resident of Benetolo House, Rex
This serves as a gentle reminder to future volunteers that the clinical work is sometimes the easiest part of the role. Teamwork is vital in a low resource setting with fuel shortages and regular power or water outages, not to mention the occasional illness in the team. The resilience of our volunteers continues to impress us, especially the therapists who have often had to go above and beyond to manage challenging situations and keep the house running smoothly.
In January , the team performed 22 Surgical cases, mostly hand fractures and tendon injuries. Due to the presence of plastic surgery team members, the orthopaedic department referred patients requiring soft tissue coverage for both upper and lower limb extremity injuries. One notable case was a scald burn to the dorsum of the hand with bone exposed. The team performed debridement and a posterior interosseous artery flap procedure. For a road traffic accident case with extensive soft tissue loss over the right dorsum of the hand and lower extremity and an exposed knee joint, the team performed a random abdominal flap for hand coverage and a gastrocnemius muscle flap for knee coverage followed by skin grafting. Superb versatility and team working demonstrated by the Orthoplastic BSSH LION team.
Multi-trauma case requiring extensive soft tissue coverage
The team continue to teach regularly - delivering our bespoke curriculum formally every Tuesday morning to the extended LION team (currently on session 5.6 out of 10 modules), every Thursday morning in a small group to the incredible OCOs who see and begin treating many cases for the Hand Team in A&E, and also clinically ‘on the job’ all of our MDT in the hand clinics and theatres.
In Hand Therapy, Emma Bamford did amazing work as sole member of the team until January 13th when joined by Zebiba, surgeon from Ethiopia. There was no overlap in Malawi to the next therapist Meryl Glover so time was spent communicating via WhatsApp and calls to ensure a smooth hand over. The hand therapy team will be undergoing major changes in February as Lucius (who has been the lead therapist in Malawi since the project began 2 years ago) is going on an exchange to Norway for 6 months. The UK therapists will therefore be busy continuing to treat but also teaching the newly allocated Malawian therapist Priscilla, who to date has minimal exposure to hand cases. She has shown real enthusiasm for becoming a Hand Therapist and is a reliable and hard-working member of the Malawian therapy team with experience from the general orthopaedic ward. Daston will also provide support to the hand therapy team as needed. In January the therapy team treated 155 patients and the Hand Therapy department was also busy with three students on placement from the Netherlands!
Here's a closer look at the impact the team are making to transform people's lives:
Forty-year-old female, widowed in 2023, with two children aged 9 and 13. As an occupation she works on the farms and sells her own produce. Whilst cutting soap bars, the knife slipped, resulting in a cut to her left non-dominant hand causing a chronic deep infection. She underwent a ray amputation of her index finger by the BSSH team led by lead surgeon Alex Nicholls, restoring function to the rest of the hand. Since the operation, she's been so thrilled with her "new look" hand, that she has visited the therapists to express her gratitude.
Delighted with her surgery and regained hand function
As we say goodbye to Bright Mafulwire, who has excelled as our second Hand Fellow, we can confirm we have appointed 2 new Hand Fellows for 2025/26: Matzo Chikalipo from Blantyre (Plastics) starts on 1st June, followed by Fatoumatta Jaiteh from Gambia (Orthopaedics) starting hopefully on 1st December.
Matzo Chikalipo and Fatoumatta Jaiteh
The fundraising effort has been tremendous from all the volunteers and we’ve received donations from many sources such as schools, university colleges, the Women’s Institute, industry and generous personal donations. This together with the agreed BSSH pledge, means we now have raised
£285,000 of our £450,000 total, which is 63%, what an achievement!
Our thanks to all our supporters. As we await responses to grant applications, we must continue to press on with our efforts via social media and local fundraising events in our UK hand units. Please do "Help us to Help Heal the Hands of Malawi"
Click on the links to our various fundraisers on the Just Giving page to see what they’ve been up to and be inspired!
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