For two patients from Mwansabombwe District, access to specialized surgical care has brought new hope and relief without having to travel far from home.

A six-year-old girl from Lukwesa Village has undergone a successful splenectomy at ZFDS Ng’anga Bilonda Hospital following a history of recurrent blood transfusions, persistent weakness and complications associated with an enlarged spleen.

After further medical assessment and a scan confirmed significant enlargement of the spleen, she was booked for surgery.

On Saturday, 19 September 2026, General Surgeon Dr Robert Banda successfully performed the splenectomy, removing a spleen that weighed 1.5 kilograms.

In another case, a 58-year-old woman from Kusangwa Village underwent an exploratory laparotomy after living with an abdominal mass and years of pain and discomfort.

Her journey dates back to 2001, when she underwent an operation to deliver her baby, who sadly did not survive. Over the years, she sought relief through different avenues while moving between health facilities in search of answers and treatment.

She has now received surgical care at ZFDS Ng’anga Bilonda Hospital, where Dr Robert Banda performed an exploratory laparotomy to investigate and manage the abdominal condition.

These two surgical journeys highlight what becomes possible when specialized healthcare is brought closer to the communities that need it most.

The Government of the Republic of Zambia, through the Ministry of Health, continues to create an enabling environment for the Zambia Flying Doctor Service (ZFDS) to fulfil its mandate of extending healthcare services to underserved and hard-to-reach communities, including through the provision of specialized services at ZFDS Ng’anga Bilonda Hospital.

At ZFDS, we believe that distance should never stand between a person and the care they need. From the most remote communities to urban centres, we take healthcare beyond the reach of geography ,bringing specialized care closer to the people, wherever they are. Because where you live should never determine the care you receive, and every life matters.