In January, something extraordinary will unfold in Malawi, one of the world’s least developed countries, where knee specialists simply don’t exist, and where thousands live with chronic pain they’ve quietly carried for years. For many Malawians, the idea of walking without discomfort has long felt like a distant dream.
That may finally begin to change.
Dr Azam Badar Khan, better known across Dubai as “Dr Knee”, is returning to Malawi to lead the country’s first-ever knee surgery camp, bringing hope to patients who’ve never had access to this kind of care. And for the surgeon who has been working in Dubai’s top hospitals for more than 20 years, this mission is personal.
“When you meet someone who has lived with pain for 20 years and tells you they’ve simply ‘learned to manage,’ it stays with you,” Dr Knee said. “This camp is about giving them back the ability to move, work, dance, and live.”
A Country Where Knee Pain Is a Life Sentence
Last December, Dr Knee travelled across Blantyre and the capital, Lilongwe, where he examined more than 400 patients in just four days. The cases told the story of a nation battling what he calls a “silent epidemic of mobility loss.”
From severe osteoarthritis to injuries left untreated for decades, nearly every patient had one thing in common: There was nowhere to go for help.
Malawi, home to more than 21 million people, has no dedicated knee surgeon and limited orthopaedic services. Many people rely on makeshift support, living each day with grinding pain.
A Camp That Could Change Everything
In January, that begins to shift. Over six days, Dr Knee and his team will perform advanced procedures, from total knee replacements to corrective surgeries, at LMJ Hospital in Blantyre and LSF Hospital in Lilongwe.
Regional health officials say the impact could be transformational, not just for the patients, but for the country’s entire healthcare system.
Skill-sharing with local doctors, new treatment pathways, training programmes, all of it could plant the seeds for Malawi’s first real orthopaedic network.
Why Dubai Matters
Behind this mission is a city that has quietly become a launchpad for global medical outreach: Dubai.
“Dubai gave us the reach to scale a mission that started with a simple idea, helping people walk pain-free for longer,” Dr Knee said.
With its international connectivity and innovation-driven healthcare sector, the emirate has helped turn Dr Knee’s mobility mission into a cross-border movement spanning Africa, Asia, and soon even more regions.
A Blueprint for a Continent
The Malawi mission is only the beginning. Talks are already underway with health authorities in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Uganda to develop broader mobility care programmes.
Back in the UAE, Dr Knee is also preparing for his first Dubai edition of the “Walk Again with Dr Knee” campaign this February, a project focused on early diagnosis, public awareness, and accessible joint care.
“We’re building a network of mobility care across continents,” he said.
“Every step we take in one country helps strengthen the next.”
For patients in Malawi, those steps could soon feel lighter, and, for many, pain-free for the first time in their lives.
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