I was afforded the wonderful opportunity to undertake the teaching tour of Malawi (Blantyre) and Zimbabwe (Harare) in 2016. When the call went out for Paediatric Surgery and Orthopaedics, I wondered both why I had been contacted and what I could potentially offer. Modern surgical care is as much about updating procedures and developing intricate new techniques as it is about preparing complex patients for surgery and managing their “medical” needs post operatively. In this vein I was invited to support teaching on areas such as peri-operative fluid management, pre-operative preparation, particularly with regard to hypertension management and renal care around surgery. The opportunity to teach in my area of expertise in preeclampsia (hypertension in pregnancy) was also afforded.
