We would like to update you on what we have done during the first days of our medical mission in Ethiopia.

Our team spent the first day at the Christmas International Brain and Spine Center in Addis Ababa, where they had a happy and moving reunion with colleagues like Dr. Zenebe Damtie, Director of the center, and other neurosurgeons, including Dr. Damián Lastra. After this, they jointly addressed the cases of several patients with various pathologies to determine their diagnosis and best treatment. In the afternoon, they performed spine surgery (L1-L5 laminectomy) on a patient who had severe mobility problems.

On Sunday, our team traveled from Addis to the Adama Hospital Medical College in Adama. After reuniting with colleagues there, they began to attend patients that afternoon to assess those who were good candidates for surgery.

Yesterday, they were already at work at 8 a.m. and by the end of the day, they had carried out three spine surgeries with good results. One of these surgeries was quite complex and for this reason, the local medical team had not yet attempted it. Dr. Clavel took advantage of this surgery as a training opportunity for Dr. Aredo and his team.

Overall, everything is going well, and we are happy to see that there have been improvements at the hospital since the last time we were here. However, there are still ongoing challenges of unforeseen events and lack of materials that mean that some surgeries are delayed or simply cannot be performed. 

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