The recent surgical visits to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Hospital in Kenema, Sierra Leone, are not isolated events, but part of a longer story of sacrifice, planning and service. Many members of the Jamaat travel for waqf-e-arzi and volunteer medical service around the world. However, what makes the Kenema project particularly significant is the work undertaken over the past few years by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Medical Association UK (AMMA UK) to upgrade the surgical wing of the hospital.
The early discussions around the project go back to 2021, when AMMA UK began exploring how it could support and improve facilities at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Hospital, Kenema, with Dr Daud Tahir Sahib visiting Kenema and meeting local colleagues including Dr Sheku Tamu Sahib and Dr Fateh-ud-Din Sahib. In October 2022, a team including Dr Syed Muzaffar Ahmad Sahib (AMMA UK President at the time), Dr Masood Majoka Sahib and Dr Muzaffar Chaudhery Sahib travelled to Sierra Leone to assess the hospital and consider how AMMA UK could contribute towards its development.
Following appeals and fundraising efforts, the work began to take shape. In May 2023, after the success of a fundraising event at the Baitul Futuh Mosque Complex earlier that month, work towards the Kenema hospital project had started. This included modification of the existing structure and plans to provide equipment for an operating theatre. Dr Daud Tahir Sahib, together with the support of Amir Jamaat Sierra Leone, played a key role on the ground in helping to manage and oversee the upgrade work.
The project required patience and persistence; progress was at times delayed by practical challenges, including heavy rains and the difficulty of completing technical work in an environment where local guidance and specialist support were limited. Despite these challenges, the work continued. The ongoing improvements to the surgical unit, including the operation theatre, installation of equipment, fitting of theatre lights, installation of the anaesthetic machine and making the theatre more suitable for surgical work occurred in the year 2024. The operating theatre was made dust-proof and equipped with air conditioning, with much of the work only possible through continued financial support.
Alongside the surgical development, AMMA UK also supported other healthcare initiatives. Free dental camps were organised in Kenema and surrounding areas, including Bo and Freetown, where patients were treated without charge. The need for such services was clear. Kenema has a population of over 200,000, yet access to affordable specialist healthcare remains limited. It was highlighted that there was no dentist in the government hospital and private dental care, though available, was often beyond the reach of many local people.
By January 2025, the upgraded surgical wing was ready to support visiting surgical teams. AMMA UK organised a team of three doctors, led by Dr Syed Muzaffar Ahmad Sahib, UK Consultant general and colorectal surgeon, to travel to Kenema for a free surgical camp. The surgical camp attracted coverage by local and regional radio and television channels. It was reported that around 230 patients had registered themselves and the team aimed to complete as many operations as possible during the week-long visit. The initial message to recruit doctors for this effort had been circulated in October 2024, highlighting the growing need for repeated specialist visits.
Since then, three surgical visits have taken place between January 2025 and January 2026. Across these visits, nearly 90 procedures have been performed, including inguinal hernia repairs, ventral wall hernia repairs and minor soft tissue procedures, with hernia surgeries accounting for around 70-80% of the caseload.
The most recent visit took place in January 2026. Over four operating days, 28 procedures were performed. These included inguinal hernia repairs, ventral wall hernia repairs and minor soft tissue or scrotal procedures. All were carried out successfully under local anaesthesia, with patients generally discharged the same day. The team worked despite resource limitations, including intermittent electricity outages and limited equipment. Local staff, nurses and theatre assistants worked tirelessly alongside the visiting team.
This visit also provided valuable supervised training exposure for junior doctors and registrars. Under the guidance of senior clinicians, junior members of the team assisted in theatre, observed surgical decision-making in a resource-limited setting and learned the importance of safe, simple and reproducible surgical techniques. It was a reminder that serving humanity requires not only good intentions, but also skill, preparation and humility.
The impact of the project has also extended beyond the hospital itself. A programme evaluation of these surgical visits was presented as a short oral paper at the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI) International Surgical Congress 2026 in the UK. The presentation highlighted the feasibility of delivering selected common general surgical procedures under local anaesthesia in a lower-income country, including early safety outcomes, same-day discharge and the value of such programmes for both patient care and supervised surgical training.
However, work is still developing. There remain patients waiting for surgery and further visits will be required. Future goals include more structured patient follow-up, better long-term outcome data, formal cost evaluation, usage of mesh repair where appropriate and possibly spinal anaesthesia for more complex cases. There is also potential for the hospital to support other visiting specialists in future, including medical, dental and ophthalmology camps, provided sufficient planning and local coordination are in place.
The Kenema project is a reminder of what can be achieved when prayers, sacrifice, professional expertise and organised effort come together.