Minutes of the board meeting
September 12, 2026
Quick recap
This meeting was a board meeting for CCMA (Canadian Coptic Medical Association) to discuss financial statements and upcoming medical mission trips to Egypt. Dr. Nagi presented the financial report showing total donations of $207,900 in 2025 compared to $545,821 in 2024, with expenditures totaling $222,532, and discussed the challenges of managing donations to eligible charitable organizations versus those to non-qualified entities. The board extensively discussed the upcoming November mission trip to Aswan, Naga Hammadi, and Cairo, addressing concerns about surgeon and anesthesiologist availability, team utilization in multiple operating rooms, and the need for better organization including potential caps on participant numbers and deadlines for registration. Several board members suggested improvements including hiring an administrative assistant to handle logistics, implementing a registration fee to ensure commitment, and establishing fixed annual dates for missions to allow better planning. The conversation ended with agreement to pursue hiring an administrative assistant and to better organize future mission planning.
Next steps
Hany
• Check his availability and work on joining the November mission trip.
Nagi
• Publish the fixed dates for the 2027 mission trips (second and third weeks of May, and second and third weeks of November) in a message or flyer to allow for early planning.
• Consider implementing a non-refundable sign-up fee (e.g., $100-$150) for future mission trips to ensure commitment, starting from the next trip after November.
• Continue to recruit for the November mission trip, specifically for an anesthetist, a children's surgeon, and an OBGYN.
Ihab
• Send a message to the Canadian Coptic Physicians group to inquire about a part-time administrative assistant, and propose a job description and compensation for the board's approval.
• Help with creating and distributing flyers or announcements for the 2027 mission trips, once the dates are finalized.
• Explore the feasibility of organizing teaching sessions for local trainees/residents during future missions when surgeons are not in the operating room.
Yasser
• Check his availability and inform Nagi regarding participation in the November mission trip.
Summary
Board Meeting Minutes and Financials
The meeting began with informal greetings and updates among participants, including discussions about personal matters and upcoming events. The formal agenda included reviewing and approving previous meeting minutes, which Michael confirmed was satisfactory. The group also discussed financial statements for the previous year (2024) and 2025, which were shared via WhatsApp with the board, though the details were not fully discussed in this transcript segment.
Financial Statement and Donations Update
Nagi presented the financial statement showing total donations of $207,900 compared to $554,821 the previous year, explaining that the decrease was due to avoiding donations to Sudan, which was outside their eligible scope. The organization had expenditures totaling $222,000 with a remaining balance of $14,000, and Nagi mentioned they would be transferring approximately $15,000 to Centre el Ragaa for medical services. Ihab asked about the decline in donations, and Nagi explained that the Ottawa group's donation was redirected due to concerns about the donation's eligibility and potential compliance issues.
Egypt Medical Missions Planning
Nagi discussed upcoming medical missions to Egypt scheduled for November 9-13 in Aswan and Naga Hammadi, and November 16-20 in Cairo, requiring specific medical professionals including anesthetists and surgeons. Yasser and Ihab suggested publishing the 2027 mission dates in advance to allow more people to plan ahead, and Nagi agreed to this proposal. The team confirmed that these trips typically occur in May and November, with locations including Cairo, Aswan, and Alexandria.
Medical Mission Team Planning Discussion
The team discussed scheduling for a medical mission in May 2027, with Yasser confirming travel dates from May 9th to 21st.Ihab raised concerns about the limited number of Canadian surgeons participating in recent missions, noting that most participants were Egyptian surgeons with UK training who don't contribute financially to the trips. Nagi acknowledged the problem and explained that Egyptian surgeons are necessary to cover participants who aren't licensed in Egypt, while also highlighting the challenge of recruiting enough Canadian surgeons to participate annually. Hany asked about the optimal team composition for future missions, particularly regarding the number of anesthesiologists and surgeons needed based on available operating rooms at the sites.
Surgical Capacity and Resource Management
Nagi explained the current surgical capacity across different sites, noting that Cairo has two working ORs, Aswan has three, and Naga Hamadi is a new addition requiring coverage. Hany asked about surgeon utilization, and Ihab highlighted a challenge where having too many surgeons can lead to inefficiency and dissatisfaction, suggesting that implementing a cap on registrations could help manage resources better.
Medical Mission Trip Improvements
The group discussed challenges and potential improvements for medical mission trips, particularly regarding surgical services and team organization. Hany shared his experience about the difficulty of balancing mission work with practice responsibilities, while Yasser suggested splitting surgeons across different sites and incorporating clinics and endoscopy services. Ihab explained that while splitting teams was previously attempted, it faced significant logistical challenges due to last-minute registrations and lack of deadlines for participant sign-ups, making proper organization difficult.
Mission Trip Sign-Up Management
Ihab proposed setting a deadline for mission trip sign-ups and implementing a cap system based on site capacity planned six months in advance. Yasser suggested using February 1st as the deadline to give participants adequate time to plan, which would automatically control numbers. Nagi explained the logistical challenges of coordinating schedules, noting that some medical professionals prefer specific weeks and the current approach requires manual coordination similar to "leading a herd of cats." Yasser suggested hiring a part-time secretarial assistant to handle the administrative burden instead of having core team members manage these coordination tasks.
Medical Mission Planning Challenges
The group discussed challenges with planning medical missions and registration processes. Yousry raised questions about case numbers and assignments, while Ihab suggested using OR capacity as a better parameter and proposed implementing a registration deadline with a non-refundable fee to ensure commitment. Hany proposed establishing fixed dates and locations for missions to allow better planning and coordination with partner hospitals, particularly in Africa. Nagi confirmed that November missions would follow a similar pattern to the previous year, with confirmed sites including Cairo, Naga Hamadi, and Aswan.
Medical Mission Scheduling Planning
The group discussed the scheduling of medical missions to Aswan and Cairo, with Ihab confirming that Aswan would be the first week and Cairo the second week of November. Fady suggested organizing teaching sessions with trainees at the sites to better utilize physician time and increase contribution. The group agreed to consider hiring an administrative assistant to help with logistics, with Ihab offering to reach out to the Canadian Coptic Physicians network about finding someone to assist with organizational tasks.