Dr Jes Bates, a trauma and orthopedic (T&O) surgeon who has worked in Blantyre, Malawi, for over 20 years at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), has decided to return to his native UK.
Jes was instrumental in getting the AO Alliance Malawi Country Initiative established in 2016. Along with Drs Nicholas Lubega and Nyengo Mkandawire, T&O surgeons in Malawi, he participated in the needs assessment meeting in November 2014. He oversaw and supervised the construction of two new operating theatres, the Mafupa ORs, at QECH.
As the managing director of the AO Alliance, I got to know Jes. He also served as the Blantyre steering committee chair and my regular trips to Malawi allowed for close collaboration. Jes remains a gifted surgeon and a mentor/teacher to many Malawian T&O surgeons who graduated from the QECH training program. He remains a dear friend.
A fitting farewell ceremony took place on February 15, 2022, in Blantyre. Many close collaborators paid tribute to Jes. He returned to the UK with his wife in early April 2022 and is on his sailboat already planning his next sailing trip.
Jes, the AO Alliance thanks you for your tremendous selfless contributions to improving care of the injured.
Claude Martin Jr
Managing Director
AO Alliance
Photo caption: Dr Sven Young, CEO of the Lilongwe Institute of Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery, and Dr Jes Bates