2024 Belize 🇧🇿 Medical/Surgical/Eye/Dental Mission

Dear Supporters, Friends, and Family,

It is with great joy and gratitude that I report to you the successful completion of a robust medical mission to the beautiful country of Belize 🇧🇿 in Central America, from October 4-14, 2024, by a multidisciplinary team of 75 US healthcare professionals under the leadership of Dr. Charles Hsu, chair of medical mission, North America Taiwanese Medical Association (NATMA).

I went as a volunteer but as you may know, I am the Founder/CEO of Chima Medical Missions (www.chimamedicalmissions.com), and the current President of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA), which encompasses Belize and other countries in the Americas. I was also accompanied by an active ANPA member, Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Osita Onyekwere, who was part of the medical team, led by Dr. Tony Lee.

Other teams included Dental led by Dr. Esther Young, Accupuncture team, Eye team to mention a few. I was the leader of the surgical team that included the following providers divided into three groups thus: Northern Regional Hospital (NRH)-Drs. Henry Wu, Lilian Estrada and Steve Yu; Western Regional Hospital (WRH)-Drs. Dahlia Tawfik, Ken Chang, and Ann Lin; Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH)-Drs. Nina Bowman, Erin Lin, Cliff Eke, PA Tawana Bryant, and Nurse Rosemary Rosyeden.

We were complimented by leaders from the Belize Ministry of Health, each hospital administrator and medical directors plus volunteer providers from each hospital, without whom we could not have succeeded in the mission and post-mission care.

After extensive pre-mission zoom meetings and patient screening we performed 57 operations including cholecystectomies (laparoscopic and open), hernia repairs with mesh, mastectomies with sentinel lymph nodes biopsies (new technique we taught), breast lumpectomies, thyroidectomies, exploratory laparotomies with ileostomy closures, gynecological procedures, anorectal surgeries, and “lumps and bumps.”

Surgeries were performed in conjunction with the local surgeons and medical officers to facilitate bidirectional knowledge and skills transfer for capacity building, so they can continue such procedures in our absence.

For example, we introduced the use of the less invasive technique of sentinel lymph node biopsy using Lymphazurin blue dye for breast cancer patients at KHMH and not only taught the technique, but left samples of the dye. This technique should decrease the incidence of lymphedema. Our colorectal surgeon, Dr. Wu, taught the local surgeon how to manage complex “horse shoe” anorectal abscess. He also gave important recommendations on how to manage patients with rectal cancer that had clinical complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In turn the local surgeons showed us how they perform open cholecystectomy through a small incision in about 30 minutes!

Special cases included ileostomy closure in a young man after a gunshot wound eight months prior, who went home 48 hours later having normal bowel movement and happy. The other was a man with a chronic large left inguinoscrotal hernia that extended to his mid thigh and contained multiple small bowel loops, sigmoid colon and omentum, adherent to the left testicle, repaired with mesh after 21/2 hours of dissection and adhesiolysis. Finally, a lady with Papillary thyroid cancer of the right lobe adherent to the trachea, esophagus, internal jugular vein, and extending to the mandible, had it completely removed by a local surgeon, Dr. Munguia, and myself working together. This was the toughest and longest case because we had to dissect all the cancer out with clear margins, performed lymph nodes dissection and preserved all the aforementioned vital structures and the recurrent laryngeal nerves and parathyroid glands. Each case was successful and all patients appreciated our team members at all hospitals and primary care clinics.

Below is a summary of our overall productivity in the words of the medical mission chair:
“Our productivity from 10/14-18 4days
*Primary care team: 1372 patients visits
*Surgical team from
KHMH, NRH and WRH: 57 operations + 33 consultations
*Ophthalmology team: 12 operations + 28 consultations
*Dental team: 221 cases
TOTALLY 1733 patients encounters were accomplished.!”

Pictures are attached to show some of the activities but you can see more at the above website or NATMA.org
We were well received by the people of Belize and appeared on their national TV programs. Link attached.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/qzxzv3sosEUhuMeP/?mibextid=11tuMg

One of our ANPA physicians announced the event to our members few days ago thus: “Our president, Dr Cliff Eke, MD, FACS, FICS is currently on a mission trip to Belize where he is serving as the head surgeon alongside others like Dr. Charles Hsu – Organizer, Dr. Jen Chin Wang – President/Founder of NATMA
International Medical Mission, Dr. Esther Young – Chief of the dental team, Philip Ying – Member of British Empire

Dr Osita Onyekwere, Interventional Cardiologist, from ANPA GA is also on this trip.
He’s been doing some incredible work, and he recently gave an interview in the country about the mission.

#ANPA: Better Together#.”

After the mission we donated remaining medications, dental equipment, and surgical supplies and consumables to the Ministry of Health and the hospitals.
I thank NATMA and Belize for the opportunity to serve in this capacity and hope we do it again soon. Thanks to EVERYONE that participated!

Special thanks to the Taiwanese Embassy Ambassador and her team for the support and wonderful logistics plus hospitality. Special thanks to Drs. Swan and the KHMH crew – you know yourselves.
Respectfully submitted by
Cliff Eke, MD, FACS, FICS