Nicholas Comninellis

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Author name: Nicholas Comninellis

2010 Angola

Paulo Buaki: A Life Well Lived – Angola Day 21

  All of us involved in ‘global health’ agree with the imperative of preventive care and relief from poverty. But nevertheless, people will still suffer from emergencies – situations in which urgent care is truly lifesaving. Enter Paulo Buaki. A native Angolan, Dr. Buaki completed his surgical residency with the renowned Pan-African College of Christian Surgeons. […]

2010 Angola

Pre-1960’s Medical Practice – Angola Day 17

  This morning I arrived to find this man, who arrived with a history of weight loss (check out the cheek bones), abdominal pain, and cough for three months. One of the greatest challenges of ‘practicing medicine’ in this setting is the lack of testing available. In North America, he would immediately have a CT

2010 Angola

Not All Work – Angola Day 15

  Several of you have written questioning whether we ever take any time off. Angola’s health crisis is a chronic one, and I totally resonate with the wisdom of enjoying some creative breaks from the action. On July 4th, while most American’s were igniting explosive devices, I took off with a group of Canadians and

2010 Angola

The End Of Poverty – Angola Day 11

  Early death is an inconsolable fact of life. In the world’s poorest nations, like Angola from where I’m writing now, a quarter of children die before reaching school age, and adults can hardly expect to live much beyond age forty. Such disturbing truths motivate many healthcare professionals to do something bold on behalf of

2010 Angola

Vesicovaginal Fistula – Angola Day 9

  One of the saddest health problems in all the developing world is vesicovaginal fistula (VVF). It’s a hole created between a woman’s bladder and her vagina, resulting in a constant, uncontrollable flow of urine out the vagina. As a result, many these women – and often children under their care – are outcast by

2010 Angola

Itunda Baptist Mission – Angola Day 7

  In contrast to the behavior of Angola’s colonial rulers, some individuals made genuine investments into the lives of the Angolan people themselves. In 1929 a family moved to the village of Itunda, just outside the city of Huambo (formerly Nova Lisboa). They started a school for local children, taught about Jesus, and initiated a

2010 Angola

Now Taking Your Questions – Angola Day 5

  Angola was colonized by the Portuguese during the 1400s. Though the Portuguese invested little into Angola’s infrastructure, even after the colonial rule ended in 1975 the Portuguese language remains both the official and the common language. I was quite privileged to live in Lisbon for a year studying the language. One of the language

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