Dr. Rai (left) and Dr. Davis (center) discuss a patient in the Children's Ward at CURE Zambia.

I think that I’ve truly met the coolest doctors since arriving at CURE Zambia.  Last week a team of funny, excited and talented surgeons arrived at CURE Zambia to perform spine surgeries on patients at our hospital.  Spine Aid, a group of spinal surgeons from the United Kingdom (England and Wales), comes annually to CURE Zambia to perform these surgeries.

Dr. Davis (left) and Dr. Chan (right) operate on a young patient's spine.

The team is made up of Drs. Mike Hutton, Daniel Chan and Andrew Tisdale (all from Princess Elizabeth Orthopedic Centre in Exeter, England); Dr. Am Rai (Norwich University Hospital); and Dr. Paul Davis (Cardiff University Hospital in Wales).  I got the opportunity to tag along with the doctors as they made their rounds around the hospital.  My feet were very sore.

Spine Aid started in 2006 after a rugby match between Dr. Hutton and some of his colleagues.  They understood that there were very few spinal surgeons in Africa, particularly in Zambia.  Dr. Hutton got in touch with Dr. Rai, a leading spine surgeon at Norwich University Hospital in Norfolk, England, and the rest is history!

Drs. Hutton and Rai have come to Zambia three years in a row and plan to continue the program.  In addition to their commitment to the Spine Aid program, the rapport between the doctors is easy and friendly.  They interact with each like brothers—no formalities, just great camaraderie.  This was very evident during the spine surgery I got to watch where Dr. Chan and Dr. Davis shared jokes over the operating table.

The spine team arrived on October 9 and performed 13 surgeries on patients ranging in age from 3 years to 65 years.  “We see a lot of cases here that we wouldn’t ordinarily see in the UK,” said Dr. Davis. “There are a lot of tuberculosis cases in Zambia and, because TB goes untreated, it spreads to the spine, and many tuberculosis sufferers end up needing spinal surgery”.

The Spine Aid team poses with CURE Zambia's operating theatre staff.

The Spine Aid team returned to the UK this past Saturday, but they made sure that they saw Victoria Falls before heading back.  “We love it in Zambia!” exclaimed Dr. Davis. “We want to come back more often.”

Here’s hoping!