Dr. Lambie removed a small beetle that had crawled into Governor Ras Tessema Nadew's ear that was causing great pain.
Although they recognized the need for a hospital the board was unable to provide him with the necessary funds, which led Lambie to embark on a fund-raising tour of his country.
This was a delicate procedure because Ras Tafari was subject to strong pressures from some in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
At the urging of Ras Kassa, Dr. Lambie investigated building a hospital in Lalibela in 1934, but the outbreak of the war prevented this.
Upon the restoration of Emperor Haile Selassie to the throne, Dr. Lambie left Ethiopia; because he had acquired Ethiopian citizenship in order to own the property his hospital was built on, he was forced to apply for naturalization.