Trip Report
Date July 5-20, 2025
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Volunteers
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Surgeries
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Days Working
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“Influence” is the word that characterizes the 2025 Uganda Spine Surgery Mission. This year’s mission comprised of 2 back to back teams. Dr’s Shane Burch and Paul Holman arrived the first week with a full team to set the stage and initiate the task of providing care to those less fortunate struggling with spinal ailments in an unforgiving health care environment. I was very grateful for their initiative and subsequent reconnaissance information, which contributed more than can be appreciated in just a few words. Again this year the superb team at Health Volunteers Overseas along with the Medical City Frisco Operating room team all worked triple time to raise funds and procure supplies for the mission.
The influence of previous missions made the recruitment process this year such an efficient task for those veterans returning and new recruits willing to give up their personal time to join the mission. Once we had arrived in Uganda the influence of past missions was clearly evident. Each one of us was welcomed openly providing immediate gratification and eliminating any sense of doubt about our purpose. Returning to Mulago Hospital and the friends from past years was very comforting.
An anecdote supporting the “influence” this year’s mission had on the local Mulago staff involved the lighting in the Ward 7 operating room. Many of the overhead fluorescent lights were non-functioning including the most important one directly over the surgical field. As one can imagine this is not ideal for spine surgery. In a moment of inner frustration, with a calm voice, I suggested that after the case we re-arrange the burnt-out bulbs with those that are working to optimize the lighting and then I instructed our team to go into town and find the appropriate replacement bulbs to fill the empty slots in the fixtures. With the case completed, and no ladder to be found, team members climbed onto the OR table and began rearranging the bulbs. The immediate difference was illuminating and just the suggestion of buying new bulbs influenced the maintenance crew to pull bulbs in storage rather than keeping them sequestered until all the bulbs burnt out.
Dr. Isador Lieberman
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