“There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return,” – Nelson Mandela.

This quote proves to be true for a group of selfless doctors and other medical professionals who founded Operation Healing Hands (OHH) with the hope of giving back to the community in commemoration of Nelson Mandela Day.

Operation Healing Hands is one of the selected charities in LottoStar’s How Lucky Can You Get? competition with Jacaranda FM, running between 14 June and 2 July 2021.

About Operation Healing Hands
OHH is a non-profit organisation that was founded by a group of doctors and medical professionals with the aim of relieving pressure from government hospitals by providing free surgeries and post-operative care to the underprivileged. The organisation’s aim is to close the socioeconomic gap of patients that need life-changing surgeries in the private and public healthcare sectors.

Patients are provided with free surgeries and medical care through donations that the organisation receive. OHH also covers the medical expenses and services on behalf of patients.

These life-changing surgeries restore hope and give patients an improved quality of life so that they can get back to enjoying life, return to work and contribute to the economy once more.

Expenses covered by OHH on behalf of patients:

• Consultations and pre-operative procedures
• Surgeries (e.g. orthopaedics, otolaryngology, plastic and general surgery, ophthalmology, urology and dentistry)
• In-hospital treatments, X-rays, and medication
• Post-operative follow-up, medication, and treatment for a three-month period
• Post-operative rehabilitation, including physiotherapy or prosthetics, if required

Medical professionals involved volunteer their services while the private hospitals sponsor most of the theatre time and other medical processes required.

Other medical companies sponsor prostheses like hip and knee and other implants required at no cost to the patients.

To offer your help, support, or donations to OHH, please click here.

Update: 21 June 2021

The total contribution for Operation Healing Hands is R215,000.

Update: 07 July 2021

LottoStar received the following update from one of our How Lucky Can You Get? charities, Operation Healing Hands – “Thank you for the generous donation of R215,000 that we received on 21 June 2021. We genuinely appreciate it, and intend to use it to the change the lives of the following patients”:

• Orthopaedic patient, June 2021, Cure Day Hospital Erasmuskloof: Joint replacements on four fingers, left hand R20,000.
• Orthopaedic patients, August 2021, Life Eugene Marais Hospital: Right rotator cuff repair (open) R15,000.00; Revision below-knee amputation stump R15,000.00; Bilateral hamstrings z-plasty R25,000; and Ganglion excision wrist R15,000.
• Ear, Nose & Throat patients, August 2021, Cure Day Hospital Midstream: Tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy and/or grommets for 10 patients R30,000.
• Dental patients, August 2021, Advanced Groenkloof Day Hospital: Dental extractions for 2 patients R12,000.
• General surgery patient, August 2021, Life Eugene Marais Hospital: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy R28,000.
• Plastics patients, August 2021, Intercare Irene: Trigger finger release R10,000; Excision growth – eye R7,500; Excision growth – scalp R7,500; Soft tissue reconstruction, bilateral feet R15,000; and Lip reconstruction R7,500.
• Urology patient, July 2021, The Urology Hospital: Circumcision R7,500.
• Urology patient, August 2021, Advanced Groenkloof Day Hospital: Circumcision & dental extractions R10,000.
• WALANT (Wide awake local anaesthesia no tourniquet) patients, July 2021, Triomf Clinic: 10 Orthopaedic patients R500

According to Dr. Helené Basson, “This amounts to a total of R225,500.00 for 35 patients. Please note that these are estimated figures”.

Again, this wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our lovely players and our friends at Jacaranda FM. Thank you!