Access to specialized surgery with safe anesthesia can transform lives. For many patients in Ghana, however, advanced ENT procedures have historically been unavailable because of limited access to specialized training, equipment, and mentorship.

One Less Drop is committed to building sustainable surgical capacity by partnering with local surgeons, residents, and health care professionals at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. Through repeated visits, hands-on instruction, and long-term collaboration, we are helping expand the hospital's ability to provide advanced surgical and anesthesia care for patients throughout the region.

Since our partnership began, our volunteer surgeons and anesthesiologists have worked side-by-side with local physicians to perform more than 500 operations while providing hands-on education in the operating room. More importantly, we are helping local surgeons and anesthetists develop the knowledge and confidence to independently perform these procedures safely long after our missions have concluded.

Our partnership has helped expand access to procedures including:

• Ear tube placement (myringotomy with tympanostomy tube insertion)

• Thyroid surgery (thyroidectomy)

• Tympanoplasty

• Mastoidectomy

• Endoscopic sinus surgery

• Endoscopic airway intervention and removal of foreign bodies

• Excision of congenital and malignant masses of the head and neck

• Ultrasound guided nerve block for anesthesia

These procedures allow patients to receive specialized care closer to home, reducing the need for travel while improving access to life-changing surgical treatment.

Investing in the Future

Surgical education extends beyond today's patients—it prepares tomorrow's surgeons.

Through ongoing mentorship, operative teaching, and clinical education, One Less Drop has helped train more than 30 residents and physicians and educated hundreds of medical students. By investing in local expertise, every mission creates a lasting impact that continues long after our team returns home.

Looking ahead, we hope to continue expanding the surgical services available at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital by introducing additional procedures, including:

• Complex airway reconstruction

• Advanced endoscopic sinus surgery

• Complex head and neck cancer resection and reconstruction

Our vision is simple: to help build a self-sustaining surgical program where patients have access to high-quality specialty care provided by highly trained local surgeons.