Nepal
Early diagnosis and treatment can change lives – we make that possible.
The teams of the Children's Surgery Foundation regularly work worldwide on their projects. In March 2025, a mission took the team to Kathmandu, Nepal, for the first time. Anesthetist Dietmar Craß traveled there with Carmen Craß and Melli Graf, both pediatric nurses. After several missions in Africa, including Ethiopia and Guinea-Bissau, this was the team's first mission in Asia.
Such missions are prompted by congenital malformations, for example in the gastrointestinal tract. Many of these conditions can be effectively treated with surgery. However, if left untreated, they can cause severe infections, pain, and permanent disabilities.
While such malformations are often detected in Germany before birth and operated on immediately after delivery, many countries lack access to early diagnosis and specialized treatment. This is precisely where the work of Dietmar Craß and his team comes in:
During their missions abroad, they are committed to providing medical help to affected children.
Special Encounters in Kathmandu
For one week, Prof. Lacher and Dr. Dietmar Craß, together with other volunteer medical professionals, worked daily in the operating room in Kathmandu to operate on a total of 16 children. In the country of approximately 30 million inhabitants, there is only one children's hospital with five pediatric surgeons, Craß reports.
The youngest patients were just two days old, the oldest patient a 14-year-old girl with an ovarian tumor. Most of the children suffered from malformations of the gastrointestinal tract. "The local colleagues often lack material or suitable equipment for diagnostics," explains Craß.
For example, the team from Germany was able to treat a child who had developed complications after a previous operation – a connection from the trachea to the esophagus caused problems. Thanks to the bronchoscope monitor they brought with them, precise diagnostics and treatment were possible.
The operations lasted up to six hours. "For example, we had a child with a large kidney tumor that was removed," reports Melli Graf. What was special this time was that many children had already undergone preliminary operations and were now facing the main surgery. Fortunately, all procedures went without complications.
Despite the demanding assignments, the calm demeanor of the team and the families in Kathmandu was particularly striking. "The children learn English at school, and the parents usually speak English too," says Melli Graf. "Even in stressful situations, a remarkable calmness was always palpable," adds Carmen Craß.
Children from a wide variety of social backgrounds underwent operations. Since families only have to pay a small portion of the treatment costs and the rest is covered by the state, care is also accessible to poorer families, explains Dietmar Craß. However, some children showed signs of malnutrition. "One child had a strikingly vacant look and completely dull hair," recalls Melli Graf.
The three are already planning their next mission for the autumn, this time back in Ethiopia. Craß announces that new operating theaters are currently being built there with donations from "Ein Herz für Kinder" and are expected to be completed by the autumn.