Autumn 2008 - Homerton University Hospital

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SPOTLIGHT ON…Offering hope –a local surgeon’s experienceson the Mercy Ship in AfricaLocal surgeon, Leo Cheng, normallyuses his skills as an oral andmaxillofacial surgeon to help thepeople of Hackney in his position asa Consultant at Homerton Hospital.But for two weeks of the year for thepast four years, he has travelled at hisown cost to West Africa to join aunique team of surgeons, nurses anddedicated volunteers, to offer his skillsto provide life enhancing andsometimes life saving treatment topeople, young and old, suffering fromdisfiguring facial tumors, cleft lips,goitres and war wounds.Leo, who is sometimes accompanied byhis Methodist Minister wife, Hilary, workson the state of the art hospital ship AfricaMercy which visits countries along a coastof Africa, which has some of the mostpoverty stricken countries in the world.Leo said: “For the patients I see on thiswonderful ship, life is one of grindingstruggle just to get a clean mouthful ofwater. And often, even drinkable wateris impossible. So the people, many ofthem very young, get infections andabscesses in their mouth and on theirfaces which develop into disfiguringtumours and growths.“These are so unsightly that the patientsare cast out from their communities orhidden away in sheds with the livestock.“With the skills we have, we can givethem back their appearances and allowthem to be accepted back into theircommunities. For some we are savingtheir lives before the tumour actuallysuffocates them.”Everytime the Mercy Ship docks at aport with its six fully equipped theatresand 80 beds and a crew of 450 aquarter of whom are top surgeons andsurgical back up, several thousandpeople queue patiently to be assessedMr Leo Chang (left) operating on the Mercy Ship.for the free treatment. Said Leo: “Weassess those we can treat and those – saywith end stage cancers – who we can’t.Even cancer patients though are givenpalliative care support.During my two weekstay, I will perform between15 and 20 operations, someseveral hours long.“It is hard work but so uplifting to see thechildren who can smile again or the youngwoman who knows she will be able to livenormally and marry. Or the old lady whohas spent decades hidden away because ofher appearance.”Leo has been to Africa on the Mercy Shipfour times – to Benin, Ghana and twice toLiberia.Added Leo: “We look forward to newchallenges and experiences during our visitand to meet up with the othertremendous individuals who give uptheir time and money to work on theship. People often say that the doctorsare like heroes – but the real heroes arethe volunteers who go out into thebush and drill for wells, enablingvillages to have 20 years of cleandrinking water and thus go some wayto ensuring that perhaps we may haveto treat fewer patients with awfuldeformities in the future.”Mercy Ships is an international charityproviding floating hospitals to servethe poorest of the poor in thedeveloping world. The Africa Mercy isthe largest non-government hospitalship in the world. All crew andclinicians on board are volunteers.Mercy Ships has treated more than300,000 people in village medicalclinics, performing 35,000 surgicalprocedures and 110,000 dentaltreatments.For more information visitwww.mercyships.org.uk10
Close Encounters:an exhibition of photographsby Dan Tunstall PedoeAuthor and environmentalist Germaine Greerformally opened ‘Close Encounters’ –a unique and spectacular photographicexhibition to commemorate the 60thanniversary of the NHS at HomertonHospital this week.The exhibition, by retired cardiologistand physician Dr Dan Tunstall Pedoe,includes over 100 colour photographs– mostly close-ups of Suffolk insectsand the alien world of arachnids.Professor Greer is President ofinvertebrate conservation charityBuglife and was approached personallyby Dr Tunstall Pedoe to open theexhibition.Homerton Hospital Chief Executive NancyHallett, said: “This is one of several events weare planning at Homerton Hospital to mark the60th anniversary of the NHS. Dr Tunstall Pedoehas been involved with the NHS in Hackney for32 years and it is only fitting that his exhibition,including photography spanning over 50 years,is part of the celebrations.”Professor Greer said: “It is an honour to launchthis splendid exhibition.“Dr Tunstall Pedoe’s work is, I believe, a pointerto the future as it shows us all a new way ofcollecting these wonderful creatures forposterity. Any child in the future can pick upa decent digital camera and, with patienceand growing experience, put together aDr Tunstall Pedoeshows GermaineGreer his work.butterfly collection without harming or killinga single insect.”Dr Tunstall Pedoe said “I am delighted thatHomerton has chosen to host this exhibition asboth these photographs and the NHS havebeen a large part of my life for more than 40years. My macro photos give a new perspectiveon creatures and I challenge everyone to lookfor the beauty in each picture.”This is the 29th exhibition hosted by the Trust.Germaine Greer withChief ExecutiveNancy Hallett andDr Tunstall Pedoe.Homertonlife 2008 11
Page 3 and 4: VIEW FROM THE TOPA word from the ch
Page 5 and 6: The Trust is seeking ways to ensure
Page 7 and 8: IVF service movesinto new premises
Page 9: SPOTLIGHT ON THE OLYMPICSThe countd

Autumn 2008 - Homerton University Hospital

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