38 Surgeries This Week!

IMG_6307It’s day four of the 2015 surgical trip. And of course we started our second case at 9:19am, which is the same time we started our first case on the first day. So we’ve improved our efficiency a bit.

The team is pumped and ready to have an amazing day today. A busy one, as we have nine cases on our schedule (5 majors and 4 minors). At this rate, we’re looking at a total of 38 cases (23 majors and 15 minors).

This team is the third for our surgical trip. This year we have two members added to the team. We might say this often, but I think the consensus is that this is the best team yet. Being in the operating room, you can easily see why these medical professionals love their job. We’ve seen some uncomfortable if not life threatening situations improved because of a 30-minute surgical procedure. A couple hours or a day later, the people are smiling and thanking the team for improving their lives.

We usually figure out the new people pretty soon, because within hours of being here and working they start to say: “Next year, when I come I’d like to see…” Most, if not all of the time, these people actually return.

IMG_6312It took us a while to embark on this surgical initiative. When we did make our first trip we were going to be happy if we did just one procedure. Lo and behold, we are on our third trip and approaching 100 procedures. This is so far beyond our expectations. The community is asking for an eye surgery initiative, as well. They’re asking for us to come twice a year. On day three of the trips, we usually have to tell people with no life threatening conditions to wait until next year. We could definitely have more patients from more remote areas, but given this is farming season some of these people cannot afford not to farm. So, a different time like the fall might be better for them. Yes, there is more to do for the community. We’re getting people from Gonaives and Port Au Prince (8-14 hours away) here in Bainet for surgical procedures, because the word spreads at a very fast rate.

Once again, we are here because of your partnership and your determination to see to it that despite the people’s geographical location, they can still have some hope of getting a medical intervention, albeit once a year. We are planning to eventually expand the types of procedures and increase the frequency, but we are not there yet. We need more general surgeons to partner with us, as our current one has partnered with us the last three years.

Go team!

Side note: Sorry about the snow back home. I won’t tell you what the temperature is right now in Bainet, Haiti.

Elade

More from the blog

Here are the latest updates and news from our blog:

Converting our Zorangé Clinic into a Community Hospital

Converting our Zorangé Clinic into a Community Hospital

We are expanding medical services in rural Haiti, as…
Our Leadership Academy in Bainet: Construction Begins!

Our Leadership Academy in Bainet: Construction Begins!

To Our Dear Supporters and Partners, Many of you…
Lab Technicians in Training

Lab Technicians in Training

As part of our effort to expand lab services…