Women helping women: Physicians for Peace volunteers with patients at Segou Hospital.
Laura Gwathmey and Laura Fine-Morrison are traveling with our VVF surgery team on the ground now in Segou, Mali. Here is their latest report, which shares their observations of both the patients and the staff they have encountered at Segou Hospital:
Our work here in Mali makes us realize how lucky we are to live in a country that allows women equal status. Here, women have little control over their lives. Most of the patients we've encountered have scarring from female genital mutilation. One member of our team, the only female doctor on staff at the hospital, told us the story of her own experience with FGM. As a child, she was subjected to the practice, and decided very quickly that she would not want her own child to suffer as she did. Unfortunately, the Malian custom is that the husband's family gets to decide the fate of a female child, not the parents. Despite our team member's best efforts, her husband's mother decided that the practice would be contined with her grandchild, our teammate's daughter, at the age of 2. In reality, our teammate told us, she could accept it only knowing that uncircumcised girls, as they are known in Mali, never get the opportunity to marry or have a family. The choice is stark: genital mutiliation or a solitary life.
We're here hoping to change that through our actions. Many of the patients we've seen require hysterectomies because of their extensive and prolongued conditions. Those for whom we recommended treatment all told us that they must ask their husbands before they can consent, and their husbands must sign the consent form, not the women themselves. As I write, one man is traveling to Segou to give consent for his brother's wife to receive a hysterectomy. As you can imagine, many husbands do not give consent, and their wives must live with an incomplete solution to their conditions. Through the actions of our all-women surgical team, working with local Malians, we hope to show that women can still be desirable and feminine while actively serving as role models.
- Laura Gwathmey
My experience of the hospital staff is that they care very much about their patients. The nurses and doctors joke around with them when appropriate, to put them at ease. A nurse or anesthesiologist will talk gently with a patient, and may touch her on the shoulder or arm if they see that she is nervous during surgery (in most cases the patients are not under general anesthesia.) And they work hard to educate patients about their treatment options as well as how to care for themselves post-operatively.
How hard it must be for the staff, then, to have to work under conditions that often don’t allow them to provide their patients with very good care. The patients come in malnourished and often lack funds for food and medications post-operatively, including pain meds and antibiotics. The staff are tired, as they get very little time off (doctors, for example, work 7 days a week; nurses work 5 days per week but are on call every 3rd night, which they must spend at the hospital). And the staff are well aware that what is available medically in other parts of the world is far greater than what doctors can offer here.
One doctor came over to me in the hospital break room while I was writing. He sat down next to me and asked what I was writing. When I told him, he said that what I wrote was very true.
And he said things are going to get better. How did he know, I asked him. His response was that one has to be optimistic in life. Things will get better, he repeated, before walking out to attend to his next patient.
- Laura Fine-Morrison ____________________________________________________________
In May 2009, Physicians for Peace sent a team to Segou, Mali (Read about the first mission to Mali.) to help with efforts to address the widespread problem of VVF. (Read more about VVF and our surgery program.) Last week, Physicians for Peace volunteers returned to Segou to help more women get the surgery they need to heal this devastating condition.
You can help mothers in poverty by supporting our volunteer medical missions in Africa. Donate now or visit www.physiciansforpeace.org to find out how to make a medical donation to our gifts in kind program.
Today was another successful surgery day in Mali. We saw 6 patients, each of whom required extensive surgery and reconstruction. We also encountered a patient from our May mission who had returned to accompany her friend for fistula repair! She was completely cured and had encouraged her friends to travel to Segou for the same care. What a treat to see how our mission had changed her life! She was outgoing and talkative, unlike many of our current patients, who are shy and say little. Since the surgery, she seems to have come out of her shell.
There is so much more work to be done. I've included a photo of the welcome sign that the hospital and the Millennium Villages Initiative made for us. We will be here through November 17 and seek to complete the daunting task of reconstructive surgeries for 50 patients. Wish us luck and please keep checking back for more updates!
In May 2009, Physicians for Peace sent a team to Segou, Mali (Read about the first mission to Mali.) to help with efforts to address the widespread problem of VVF. (Read more about VVF and our surgery program.) This week, Physicians for Peace volunteers returned to Segou to help more women get the surgery they need to heal this devastating condition. Laura Gwathmey, student of International Studies at Old Dominion University, is traveling with our medical volunteers to report on the progress of this mission. Check the blog for regular updates.
You can help mothers in poverty by supporting our volunteer medical missions in Africa. Donate now or visitwww.physiciansforpeace.org to find out how to make a medical donation to our gifts in kind program.
An important focus of Physicians for Peace Maternal and Child Health Programs is treatment and prevention of VVF and RVF (vesicovaginal fistula and rectovaginal fistula.) These serious complications of childbirth occur during prolonged labor, resulting in serious tissue damage to the mother. The condition occurs more often in developing countries where women become pregnant at a very young age. Read more about our VVF Surgery program.
In May 2009, Physicians for Peace sent a team to Segou, Mali to help with efforts to address this widespread problem. (Read about the first mission to Mali.) This week, Physicians for Peace volunteers returned to Segou to help more women get the surgery they need to heal this devastating condition.
Laura Gwathmey, student of International Studies at Old Dominion University, is traveling with our medical volunteers to report on the progress of this mission. She sends her first update:
Greetings from Mali! We've arrived in Segou and begun setting up at the hospital today. The staff and the Millennium Development office had arranged for a welcome banner for our group! I'll be sure to send pictures soon. We also began pre-screening fistula patients today. We expected approximately 30 patients, but when we arrived, we found 57 waiting for us and many more on the way. Apparently, the patients from Physicians for Peace's May 2009 mission were so pleased with their care that they passed along the word, and we have more patients than we can handle! We're also seeing a greater variety of patients than previously - we've had many fistulas, but also many children, one with complications from genital mutilation, and several male prostates. Several of the women have been living with fistula for years; we met one woman today who has been living with fistula for 20 years! They have traveled for days to reach us and sleep on hospital grounds awaiting treatment.
We also met with the governor of the Segou region and several local health officials today, pleading our case for greater support and assistance for the people of Mali. All of the officials agreed that there is much work to be done to help prevent and treat cases of fistula.
We begin surgery tomorrow morning at 7 am and will continue until dark. Each day seems to bring a new challenge and a new heart wrenching story.
You can help mothers in poverty by supporting our volunteer medical missions in Africa. Donate now or visit www.physiciansforpeace.org to find out how to make a medical donation to our gifts in kind program.
We have posted many stories from our recent medical mission to the Philippines. Our volunteers worked with patients in our on-going programs there, Walking Free and Seeing Clearly. Their trip was even more important because they were able to lend a hand with relief efforts in the aftermath of the typhoons that had hit the area only a week before. Ken Hudson, Physicians for Peace Gifts in Kind Manager, was there to witness a population bonding together in the face of loss and tragedy. He shares his personal story of what it was like trying to deliver food and water to families in need:
The first couple of days of our mission to the Philippines focused on the “Walking Free” program and how we could better meet the needs of its patients. We had visited the facilities at PGH (Philippine General Hospital) and Clark Air Field. Today would be different since we would be participating in a relief effort which is something that we normally do not do - Physicians for Peace is an organization that focuses primarily on medical education.
During this part of the mission we were supposed to visit the area of the Philippines called Northern Luzon. Unfortunately we were not able to do so because of the damage that the area had sustained from typhoons Ondong and Pepeng. Lyne Abanilla, PFP’s representative on the ground in the Philippines, asked our team if we would like to help hand out relief supplies to victims of the recent flooding caused by the typhoons. The effort would be in Pasig which is part of Metro Manila. We jumped at the chance to help.
We meet Lyne at the Manila Bulletin which is where she works. The Manila Bulletin is the nation’s second oldest newspaper and claims the second largest circulation in the Phlippines. The paper is located in the historic Intramuros section of Manila.
When we arrive we are noisily greeted by a room full of volunteers that are busy packing the supplies that will be taken to Pasig. The volunteers include Rotarians, business owners, and doctors. The volunteers are eagerly making and packing peanut butter sandwiches. We quickly pitch in, and in no time everything is finished and ready for transport. Once loaded, we head for the police station to pick up our police escort and the truck that will transport the supplies and the volunteers.
Once we get to Pasig, we are greeted by our security escorts. Our truck that will carry the volunteers and supplies is a standard troop/personnel carrier. There will be seats for 8 people but about a dozen or so of the volunteers will have to stand up during the trip with only the wire from the surrounding cage to hang on to.
We are escorted by two police vehicles as we leave the compound. As we slowly make our way through traffic we notice that we are waved through at every intersection by the local traffic cops. Apparently word has been sent ahead in order to help ease our way through the heavy traffic.
The traffic, which is always backed up, becomes even harder to work our way through. We realize that this is due to the roads being closed due to the flooding and landslides. Then traffic comes to an abrupt halt. Right in front of us is a section of road that is completely submerged. Our escorts slowly ease their way through the water and for a while look as if they are getting ready to float away. We are nervous and are sure that they are not going to make it but eventually they are out of the water. As we inch our way forward, we are greeted by people in boats and tricycles. Some people are actually swimming or wading in the dirty water. To the left of us we notice personnel bridges made of two by fours supported by wooden bases that have been hastily constructed so that people can get in and out of the area. This is a scene that I had never witnessed and am once again awestruck at the ingenuity of the Filipino people.
Once we make it out of the water we arrive at our destination. Suddenly we are greeted by a large crowd that starts cheering and waving. These are the people that we have been sent to help.
Suddenly we are out of the truck and on the ground. The supplies are taken off of the truck and moved to a gymnasium that will be the main distribution point. There are also a large number of people in the gym. We are told that the people outside have suffered some damage to their homes but their homes are still habitable. The people inside the gym have lost most of their possessions and their homes were destroyed or almost completely destroyed.
While everyone is busy getting the supplies ready for distribution I grab my camera and spot a set of stairs inside the gym where I can get a few good pictures of what is going on inside. As soon as I get to the top of the stairs, a door flies open and I am greeted by a young man. I realize that I am invading someone’s “home”. But instead of being angry, the young man asks if I can take a picture of his family. I agree and suddenly they are all in front of me eagerly posing for the camera. Once again, here is a family that instead of focusing on their terrible loss, are instead trying to have fun by posing for a picture.
I quickly turn around and start snapping pictures of the scene on the gym floor. The sight that appears before me is shocking. These are families that have been dislocated. It looks as if some of them had little or no time to grab anything of value. Dirty blankets and sheets have been erected in an attempt at privacy. Some of the people look as if they do not have any clean clothes. Children are running in and out of the makeshift dwellings playing and laughing. The crowd is starting to murmur with anticipation of a chance to receive some water and a little bit of food.
As I make my way to the floor and start walking in and out of the dwellings, I am greeted by calls of “hello sir”, “good evening sir”, and “how are you doing sir”. Everyone has a smile as I greet them.
After taking pictures for a few minutes I notice that Lyne has the volunteers ready to hand out the supplies to the people inside the gym. I run over and grab a big box of bottled water and drag it on the floor as someone else passes out the bottles. We are told to try to limit each family to one bottle. We need to make sure that everyone, including the people outside, receives their fair share of supplies. The first box empties rather quickly and then we start working on a second box of water. Suddenly people start running up to me and asking “tubig please”, water please. Though I know that every family should have received a bottle of water I cannot turn them down. What if their family is very large? How long has it been since they had fresh drinking water? What if they have small children? So I give them some more. Once again I hear many “thank you sirs” and “salamat po”. Then I spot Doc Montero who is also busy handing out water. Someone is asking him to limit the amount of water that he is giving away. He shouts back that the children keep asking him for water and how can he turn them down. My thoughts exactly.
Eventually mats and blankets are also passed out. A small amount of cooked noodles and bread with peanut butter is given to each family. We are finished handing out supplies to the “residents” of the gym.
Now we shift to the people waiting outside. Everyone is standing in two lines. The supplies start moving down the line but we need to move a little quicker. These people have been waiting for quite some time and we want to make sure that they get their fair share. Lyne is urging everyone to move a little quicker. We certainly don’t want anyone to think that they are going to be left out. It seems that the supplies move a little quicker this time and before we know it we are finished. Through all of the commotion there is no pushing, shoving, fighting or cursing. Everyone is well-behaved and courteous.
Night has come, so we start to gather the few supplies that we have left and put them on the truck. As we make our way to the truck to leave we are greeted with “thank you ate” (older sister), “thank you kuya” (older brother), “thank you sir” or salamat po. Some of the volunteers are on the truck. As I get ready to climb on I hear a child call out “tanapay sir”, “bread please sir”. I notice a box of bread at the end of the truck. I hand the little boy a roll. Then where there was one hand there are now two. So I hand out two more rolls. Now there are four more hands stretched out toward me, so I give up four more rolls. Now there are six and then eight more hands. So I hand out more bread. The people inside the truck are telling me that we need to leave because it is getting late. Suddenly there is a hand around my right arm and then one on my left. Then there is a hand from behind and then I am in the truck.
As we start to leave we pass by a crowd of people. Some of them are cheering while others are waving. I hear some goodbyes and few more salamats and then we are gone.
Our trip out of the flooded area is a bit quicker since it is late and there is a lot less traffic. Once again we receive a free pass because of our escort and because of our mission.
Once we arrive back at the police station it is decided that we will all meet somewhere to eat. We are all thirsty, hungry, and tired. The restaurant of choice is Jolibees. This is the Philippines version of KFC.
When I receive my order and start to eat, I can’t help but wonder how easy it is for me to take for granted that I have the ability to eat anything that I want at anytime but that there were going to be many mouths tonight that would not be fed. Even though I finish my meal, it seems that it is a little harder to swallow than usual.
P.S. - At some point during the relief mission in Pasig a woman handed me a note. The note had her name and phone number. On it she stated that her daughter had scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and asks for help. When I meet Dr. Pipo Bundoc the next day and ask him if he could help he tells me “I can do this”. Once again our friends in the Philippines will come through.
_________________________________________________
The work of Physicians for Peace to improve third world health care is vital to those in need. Find out more about our medical missions in the Philippines and how you can make a medical donation to support our international health programs there - visit www.physiciansforpeace.org
We have posted reports about how the The Physicians for Peace mission to the Philippines this month brought support to the Walking Free program and assistance to typhoon survivors. Another important aspect of this mission was working with the Seeing Clearly Program, as volunteer John Knight reports below:
We had wonderful missions in Smokey Mountain, Manila and Madrid, Surigao del Sur, and Mindinao. This occurred after an impromptu disaster relief trip to a flooded area of Manila. Saturday, we made sandwiches and carried other food, sleeping supplies, and clothing to an area of Manila that was still flooded from the recent typhoon. It was an amazing experience for all involved. Hundreds of grateful people were helped. Words and pictures could never describe the resilience of these people amidst such dire circumstances.
The following 2 days consisted of the opening of the PFP/Rotary Health Center and a "Seeing Clearly" eye exam and eyeglass mission in Smokey Mountain. It is named so because it was once a large garbage dump site where 20,000 people had been living. Since the closing of the dump, they now live in public housing highrises. We had many volunteer optometrists working alongside volunteers from the community we were serving. Several hundred patients were examined and the majority of these received prescription eyeglasses. Many of the others received diagnoses and were referred for future surgeries. Those prescriptions that we did not have will be made by Dr. Buniel in Madrid and sent back to Manila for proper fitting by the local optometrist.
On Tuesday, we took an all day trip by plane and van to Madrid in Mindinao to see the site of our permanent "Seeing Clearly" clinic for another 2 day clinic using the same model as the previous mission. Approximately 500 people were served during this mission. As always, patients travelled from near and far to avail of the services. Everyone was so kind and appreciative in that area that I now feel like that is my home in The Philippines. We promised to continue supporting the work of Dr. Buniel and also to return again soon.
This was my sixth PFP trip to the Philippines and best so far. I could not have asked for more than to share such an experience with my father, Dr. Montero, Dr. Buniel, and all the other fine people that made this mission a great success. We will now go back to the States with a better understanding of the needs here and an invigorated spirit to do all we can at home to help these our brothers and sisters in The Philippines!
John Knight
You can help those in need by supporting our medical volunteer work and our on-going medical missions in the Philippines. Whether you wish to donate medical supplies or join or monthly giving program, there are many ways to contribute to our international health programs. Find out more at http://www.physiciansforpeace.org/ways-to-give.html
Both medical workers and patients have shown tremendous courage in dealing with the devastation caused by recent typhoons in the Philippines. Dr. Josephine Bundoc reports on the conditions there, and the incredible determination of the survivors:
Dear Everyone,
The Physicians for Peace Walking Free team walked and waded through the aftermath of the typhoon to provide relief goods, medical, surgical and disability assistance to the amputees and wheelchair borne community of Tahanang Walang Hagdanan (House without steps) on October 2, 2009.
Truly inspiring indeed is the fact that we were met with warm, happy and hopeful faces with only their wounds and broken prosthesis giving us a clue to the damages brought upon them by Typhoon Ondoy! As one of the survivors told us, "We survived it through faith and mind over matter."
Since President Arroyo was expected to arrive at 1 pm, we had to finish the mission before noon for security purposes. Within the time constraints, the Physicians for Peace Amputee Support Group was able to distribute 100 packages of toiletries and food, clean and dress 20 wounds, provide medical consults and medications to 75 families and screen 28 amputees.
On that day, we also turned over a donation of 10,000 pesos by HaoChin Chua Foundation and 20,000 pesos raised by the Physicians for Peace Amputee Support group for the rehabilitation of their dormitories, homes, and workplace which were neck deep in water.
We returned Oct 19 to measure the amputees for new prosthesis --- fulfilling a promise we made when we had to leave early last Oct 2 as we were pressed to leave the premises.
We will again go back in November to deliver their finished prosthesis so they can regain independent mobility and facilitate their immediate return to work and productivity!
On behalf of the beneficiaries, we express our appreciation for your unwavering support!
You can support our relief efforts and medical missions in the Philippines - Donate medical equipment or donate medical supplies to our Gifts in Kind Program, or make a monthly gift by becoming a Partner for Peace... To find out the many ways you can contribute to our medical volunteer work, visit http://www.physiciansforpeace.org/ways-to-give.html
Today Dr. Penny Bundoc, John Knight, Mr. Henry Knight, and I travelled to Clark Air Base to visit the “Walking Free” Pampanga Project.
Upon arrival we were met by Mr. Pepito D. Villanueva, Manager, Special Concerns Office. “Pep” was a gracious host, and it is obvious that he has a passion for this project. It is through his hard work that he has been able to take very few resources and make this project work. I was extremely happy that I was able to give him a handful of prosthetic knees that I had taken on the flight from our headquarters in Norfolk. These knees will help complete several more above knee prostheses.
As we toured the facility, it was evident that it was being run in a very professional and efficient manner. There were rooms set aside for manufacturing the limbs, physical therapy, and training. The result of everyone’s hard work over the last couple of years was clearly evident. In a span of less than 2 years, a total of 128 patients have receive prosthetic limbs. The patients that were treated lived in 21 different localities.
We were introduced later to Mr. Benigno Ricafort, the President of the Clark Development Corporation. Mr. Ricafort was very enthusiastic about the work that we are doing to help amputees and indicated that he would continue to support our work there.
A real indicator of just how much of an impact we have made in the Pampanga area is the fact that people that live far outside the general area come to the clinic to see if they can receive help.
Mr. Villanueva provided me with additional information as to the types of items that would be helpful. I told him that we will continue to ship containers full of prosthetic limbs, walkers, canes, crutches, and wheelchairs in an effort to support our friends in Pampanga and help them walk again and live a full life.
It is almost 1:00 A.M. Oh by the way it looks like there will be more massive flooding. We are supposed to be hit by more bad weather this weekend. Let’s just hope and pray that somehow it passes us by.
You can join Ken in supporting our medical missions in the Philippines - Donate medical equipment or donate medical supplies to our Gifts in Kind Program, or make a monthly gift by becoming a Partner for Peace... To find out the many ways you can support our medical volunteer work, visit http://www.physiciansforpeace.org/ways-to-give.html
John Knight, M.P.H., a long time Physicians for Peace volunteer and recipient of our 2009 Volunteer of the Year Award for Mission Support, is currently traveling in the Philippines with Ken Hudson, our Gifts in Kind Manager. He reports on the incredible achievements of the Walking Free Program and gives an update on the situation since the typhoons hit a few weeks ago:
As you know, our first of 3 "Seeing Clearly" missions was just cancelled in Isabela due to the impassibility of the roads in Northern Luzon. Back to back typhoons have resulted in massive flooding and landslides that have killed hundreds of people in both areas. Unfortunately, The Philippines receives more than its share of natural disasters. But because of this, the people are very resilient and, as always, still have great smiles and attitudes. The first typhoon hit Manila 2 weeks ago and hit home for Physicians for Peace, with the flooding of our Secretary Cherry's house. She had 10 feet of water in her house, had to spend a night on the roof, and lost many material possessions. The selfless person that she is, Cherry still managed to meet us at the airport, along with Juan and Lyne. This was the first trip to a developing country for my father, Henry and Ken. However, the staff and volunteers here immediately made everyone feel right at home.
Dr. Montero and Lyne are arranging for us to help with the relief efforts in Manila in the time that was allotted for the first mission. Ken did a great job of summarizing our tours of Walking Free and PGH today. My father also had never seen anything like what he saw today. As a Board Member of Duke University Hospital, he had been exposed to a lot of first world medicine but had never truly seen what the have-nots in the world must face when trying to care for themselves and their families. He was truly affected by what he witnessed and will share his experiences with many others. For me, witnessing first-hand these heartbreaking scenes never fails to put things in perspective, energizing me to give more of my future time and resources to help others. After visiting the hot, chaotic & overcrowded pediatric ER, my father and I agreed that had his 2 month prematurely born granddaughter McKenzie been born in such a place, she would probably not be alive today.
While there is so much work to be done in that hospital, the shining star of what we saw was the Physicians for Peace Walking Free Program. The last time I visited it several year ago, all that existed was a concept, a room filled with boxes, very little equipment, and very few patients being served. Fortunately, Dr. Montero, Penny Bundoc & Lyne Abanilla have relentlessly worked to make this program a huge success. Prostheses were being formed while some patients were being fitted and others were "Walking Free". We heard first hand stories from these patients and staff who have been made whole again by Physicians for Peace.
Even though our team is delayed in the hands-on work we will perform, the Good Lord always has a plan. Today was a chance to see the overall picture firsthand. It was an opportunity to see how much has been done but how much more we can do. We all sat down for a quiet lunch afterward and had great discussions and brainstorming about how we can best help these most deserving Filipinos in the future. Although some ideas may be dreams, Penny told me that she did not think the dream of "Walking Free - Philippines" would be where it is now when we had similar discussions in 2004. With hard the continued hard work of Physicians for Peace's staff and volunteers, dreams do come true!!!
We look forward to updating you soon about "Seeing Clearly" missions 2 and 3 which are still on schedule.
God Bless You All,
John Knight
You can join John in supporting our medical missions in the Philippines - Donate medical equipment or donate medical supplies to our Gifts in Kind Program, or make a monthly gift by becoming a Partner for Peace... To find out the many ways you can support our medical volunteer work, visit http://www.physiciansforpeace.org/ways-to-give.html
Ken Hudson, our Gifts in Kind manager, is currently in the Philippines helping out with our on-going programs there, which include Walking Free and Seeing Clearly. His first observations on the ground show why Physicians for Peace is there and the importance of the work of our volunteers...
"I was excited to be on my first mission since joining Physicians for Peace in May 2005, and looking forward to participating in a medical mission trip to the Philippines.
Doctor Montero arrived to pick up John Knight, John Knight’s dad, Henry, and myself and then we were off to meet Penny and Pipo Bundoc and Lyne Abanilla at Philippine General Hospital for a guided tour.
While I cannot do justice to what I saw with words or pictures I will do my best to provide an overall sense of what is being accomplished there.
The main focus of the tour was the prosthetics clinic where the bulk of the work for the “Walking Free” program in Manila takes place. While Penny and Pipo gave me an education as to their primary needs in the shop they also took the time to introduce some of their patients.
I met Lea Redreno, who suffers from congenital deformities on every limb. Lea is working at the “Walking Free” clinic, helping maintain it’s inventory and organization. Lea has a beautiful smile and a great personality even though she has suffered from many personal hardships.
Then I had the pleasure of meeting Herbert Renuda, who at the young age of 15 was being fitted for an above the knee prosthesis at the hip. While being fitted, Herbert displayed maturity beyond his years.
Then I met several young amputees that also had appointments at the clinic who all had positive attitudes and big smiles for everyone they met.
This is proof once again that the Physicians for Peace team and our great volunteers such as Doctor Montero and Lyne Abanilla continue to do great work.
After visiting the “Walking Free” area, Penny and Pipo decided to give us a tour through the rest of the hospital.
What I saw was something that I have never witnessed. I saw a hospital that is bursting at the seams. Wherever I went there were extremely long lines of sick people waiting for help. As soon as you walked into the main screening area you could see that the system was overwhelmed.
One of the scenes was of a woman leaning over her mother who was laying on a cot in pain. She was busily trying to use a paper fan to try to cool her while her tears were falling as she wondered what illness she was suffering from. I came upon another family that was trying to comfort a young girl that they had barely saved from slipping into a coma. Her supply of insulin had run out, and they were not able to get to Manila in time because of the recent flooding and landslides that had been caused by Typhoons Ondong and Ppepeng. The young physician in training assured me that her patient would probably recover, but that she had suffered a great deal.
Particularly troublesome were the number of very young children that I saw that were waiting for treatment. It is hard to say how many there were but virtually all available space was occupied. The illnesses of these children could range from the common cold to more serious illnesses.
Through all of this, the hard working and dedicated medical professionals like Penny and Pipo and our great volunteers Doctor Montero and Lyne Abanilla impressed me with their great attitudes and their hard work. This is the one piece of the thread that keeps things running at this hospital.
Additionally what was perhaps the most inspiring part of what I saw was to witness the strength and courage of the families that stood watch over their loved ones while waiting for help without a single complaint. I will never forget what I saw today, and this experience makes me want to do everything that I can to help the people of the Philippines."
You can join Ken in supporting our medical missions in the Philippines - Donate medical equipment or donate medical supplies to our Gifts in Kind Program, or make a monthly gift by becoming a Partner for Peace... To find out the many ways you can support our medical volunteer work, visit http://www.physiciansforpeace.org/ways-to-give.html
Dr. Josephine Budoc of Walking Free Philippines gives this report on the accomplishments of two of our prosthetic and orthotic technicians:
"The Cambodia School of Prosthetics and Orthotics ( CSPO ) has granted the Philippine Walking Free technicians two (2) full scholarships for its 3 year P & O Category 2 course. Their scholarship covers their $12,000/year tuition fee for 3 years, free board and lodging, allowance, and health insurance. Philippine Airlines has been kind enough to sponsor their roundtrip fares to and from Manila.
The 2 technicians are Edgar Bellosillo and Desiderio Gapasin. Edgar has been the PGH technician (initially for Jaipur and then Physicians for Peace) since 2005... Desiderio is a hip disarticulation prosthesis user who has been a P & O technician since 1990 and is our technician at the Clark Prosthesis Laboratory and Training CEnter.
They are scheduled to leave October 28 for Cambodia and we are truly wishing them all the best in their schooling. May we reap the fruits of their efforts in the P & O school we are trying to establish!"
Congratulations to Edgar and Desiderio, and to all the Walking Free Philippines team for their hard work in continuing to improve care for amputees. If you would like to find out more about our medical missions in the Philippines and other international health programs, visit our web site at www.physiciansforpeace.org.
You can also donate medical equipment or prosthetic devices to the Walking Free Program or make a medical donation to support international health education - Your support changes lives!
Dr. Josephine Bundoc (left) participates in the first national prosthesis Walkathon in Manila.
Dr. Josephine “Penny” Bundoc, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of the Philippines in Manila, is being honored by Physicians for Peace with its 20th Anniversary Health Care Heroes Award for her work with the organization’s Walking Free program. The success of PFP’s Walking Free program in the Philippines has been due in large part to her energetic and inspiring efforts. Dr. Bundoc works tirelessly to help the neediest patients in the Philippines receive prosthetics to replace lost arms and legs, and ensure ongoing physical rehabilitation to allow them to rebuild their lives with a sense of joy. In 2005, with support and supplies from Physicians for Peace and partners, Dr. Bonduc was instrumental in the opening of a new state-of-the-art Prosthetic and Rehabilitation Center at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and has played a significant role in the success of our medical missions in the Philippines.
Read more about Penny's work with amputees in these articles...
You can help support the work of Dr. Penny Bundoc and our international health programs in the Philippines. When you make a financial contribution or donate medical equipment or prosthetics, you are giving someone access to medical care and the hope of walking again. To learn more about Walking Free and our other programs in the Philippines, visit us on the web... www.physiciansforpeace.org
Since 2006, Physicians for Peace volunteers Dr. Chris Walters and Dr. Keith Goss, have been traveling to Eritrea to perform limb salvage and limb reconstruction surgeries. They have devoted their time, skills, and resources to these surgery missions, helping people with limb deformities and injuries from accidents and disease and giving them the freedom to live normal lives, support their families, and care for their children.
Now Drs. Walters and Goss and their team are on a mission to bring a type of equipment to Eritrean hospitals which will dramatically improve treatment capabilities and help many patients avoid painful disabilities. When they return to Eritrea in October, they hope to establish a SIGN surgical system, which will allow physicians to radically improve the way they treat patients. Instead of putting fracture patients in traction, potentially causing permanent disability, the SIGN model provides education, training, and orthopedic implants to surgeons, improving the quality of care and allowing patients to heal properly. help us donate medical equipment -
Help us donate medical equipment. This system will help countless people avoid needless suffering, but it is not free. Our volunteers need $20,000 to bring this much needed technology to Eritrea.
Help them reach their goal! This is a great opportunity to make a difference!
Although the weather did not cooperate with our efforts to collect recycled prosthetics at Harbor Park in Norfolk on Sunday, donations still came in, and publicity from the event was valuable in raising awareness about the importance of recycling prosthetics. The Walking Free Program and its partners were able to educate the public about the lack of amputee care in developing countries and the efforts to train prosthetists, orthotists, and physical therapists in resource-poor areas of the world. Receiving a limb and gaining the ability to walk independently is a life-changing event for someone who has lost a limb to injury, war, or disease. Thank you to all who assisted the Walking Free program in their efforts to help those in need!
The first report is in from Jaya Tiwari, Director of Global Health Programs, who is traveling to Bamako and Segou with our team of volunteer surgeons who are on this very important medical mission trip to treat women suffering from VVF:
After a long journey, a few flight connections and airport delays, the Physicians for Peace team safely arrived at Bamako International Airport on Sat, May 9th night. The team consisted of Dr. Laura Hart, an urologist from Seattle, Washington, Dr. Ellie Hogenson, an OBGYN from Fairbanks, Alaska, Mrs. Pamela Allen, a Physician’s Assistant from Boston, MA, Mrs. Lisa Byman, a Surgical Assistant from Fairbanks, Alaska, Mrs. France Dargan, Surgical Assistant from Norfolk, VA.
Going thought immigration in Mali seemed surprisingly and pleasantly unbureaucratic and fast so we happily proceeded to the baggage claim area. Well, we more than made up for our fast clearance through the immigration process in the baggage claims area, where a small conveyer belt SLOWLY and with frequent stops proceeded to spit out the checked bags from our flight. Given that we had checked in 8 huge suitcases of medicine, medical donations, and instruments essential for this mission, we all stood around nervously awaiting the appearance of each bags of supplies, all of which finally arrived at safe and sound. We proceeded to the customs area in one big and semi-confused mass of people where another slow baggage screening machine was used to screen every single bag and passenger item with many passenger bags being pulled off the screening belt for hand searches and inspection. Unfortunately, two of our huge bags of medical supplies were also pulled aside for additional inspection, and after some more delays, explaining and negotiations, we finally got all our bags with all items intact and could leave the airport more than three hours after our flight landed!!
We were met at the airport with Mavis Ama Frimpong, Sub-Regional Sexual and Reproductive Health Advisor of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Center, West and Central Africa. After an overnight stay in Bamako, the capital of Mali (West Africa), we started another three hour jeep ride to Segou, the site of this Vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) repair mission, accompanied by Mavis and our esteemed team leader, Professor Kalilou Ouattara. Professor Ouattara is one of Mali’s most renowned surgeons and VVF repair experts and is also the Head of the National Fistula Policy. This is Physicians for Peace’s first VVF mission in Mali, conducted in partnership with the MDG Center, West and Central Africa, and the Ministry of Health to assist the women suffering with VVF in the Millennium City of Segou.
The ride between Bamako and Segou was pleasant as we passed the roads lined with mango groves and small street side market areas. Both Bamako and Segou are famous cities rich in history and architecture, which given our busy schedule, we have not had the chance to explore but hope to do so by the end of the mission. Monday and Tuesday were full, long days for the volunteer mediteam in visiting the hospital: meeting various stakeholders and health officials key to VVF repair and prevention campaign in Mali, getting to know the local doctors and health professionals that will work alongside the U.S. team for the duration of the week, familiarizing themselves with the VVF work in the OR at the Segou Hospital, setting up supplies, screening patients, and starting to perform operations. Stay tuned for more...
Recyclingprosthetics helps amputees indevelopingcountries get the care theyneed.The Walking Free programhas partnered withHangarProsthetics andOrthotics, At Home Care, Nauticus,andOldDominionUniversity to sponsoralimb drive this Sunday from 12pm - 2pm at Harbour Park in Norfolk,Virginiaat the Tides baseballgame.The limbs and braces collected will be brokendownand shipped worldwide to support Walking Free volunteermedicalmissions.
Bring a prosthetic donation and get free admission to the Tides game!
Tolearnmore about the Walking Free programand its mission toprovide care toamputees in the world's poorest countries,visit our web site at www.physiciansforpeace.org/walkingfree.html
Our Senior Director of Global Health Programs, Mary Kwasniewski, is currently traveling in the Dominican Republic with Stefanie Schaeffer, a winner of NBC's "The Apprentice." She sends this report:
"Its one thing to hear about what groups can accomplish together but another entirely to see it first hand and be overcome with emotion." - Both Stefanie and her mother were reduced to tears at least once today while visiting the cleanest and most up to date facilities... here's to the week ahead and the need we hope to meet...
The Dominican Republic is full of amazing people - this evening we were hosted by the Volunteer Group - Jesus for the Children - a group of ladies dedicated to bringing proper and deserved health care to the nation's "niños." They are dedicated when there is no sense of hope and determined when all odds are against them. Most recently they have outfitted and rebuilt the Burn Unit at the Pediatric Hospital in Santiago, and now they are busy looking at rebuilding a special oncology unit for children! They will not stop, and I believe they will do it! With partners like this group we know that Physicians for Peace has come to help meet the right need at the right time. We are very lucky!
You can also get information about the Burn Consortium, a network of burn care clinics in Latin America and the Caribbean at www.quemaduras.org
Pediatric burns are a serious global health problem - More school-aged children in third world countries die each year from burns than from malaria and tuberculosis. Our international health programs work to train burn nurses in the poorest countries by sending volunteer medical missions to help children get the care they need.
You can make a donation to health care charity or find out how to donate medical supplies on our web site at www.physiciansforpeace.org
Recognizing the need for recycled prosthetics throughout the world, Ability Prosthetics and Orthotics has recently donated over a dozen prosthetic limbs to the Physicians for Peace Walking Free Program. These limbs will find a second life, helping individuals to walk who would otherwise not have had access to amputee care. Ability will continue to donate prosthetics throughout the year in support of our international health programs.
Each year people throughout the third world, especially children, suffer from accidents and disease that result in amputation. Yet most of the time, treatment and rehabilitation services are unavailable, and prosthetics are rare and costly. Physicians for Peace volunteer medical professionals train prosthetists and physical therapists in their home country so that they can help individuals get the treatment they need. Thanks to the Walking Free Program, many are able to walk on their own for the first time, allowing them to earn a living and start a new life.
To donate medical equipment such as prosthetics and orthotics, contact our Gifts in Kind Manager at khudson@physiciansforpeace.org or call 757-625-7569 for more information.
Watch video about Ability and Physicians for Peace and their work to recycle prosthetics:
Last month, Physicians for Peace was excited to have the opportunity to send its first medical mission to Vietnam. Two dentists - Dr. Warren Sachs, DDS, and Dr. Joseph Gloria, DDS, along with their dental assistants - Brenda L. Raymo, CDA and Nicola Mestres traveled to Chau Doc City in AnGiang Province for 10 days of providing clinical care and education to the local population. They were accompanied by long-time Physicians for Peace photographer, Stephen Katz.
Brenda Raymo gives her impressions of the status of dental care in Vietnam:
"Our trip was interesting and productive. There is a need to return. Dental care is not a priority in Vietnam. There is a shortage of dentists - 65,000 people to one dentist. There are 3 universities that offer dental education. It's a 6-year program, and when you graduate, it's mandatory to work in the hospital for 5 years before you can go into private practice. The universities are in the major cities, Saigon, Hanoi and Hue. The dental problems here are serious - decay, infection, black beetle nut stain. They allow their children to stay on the bottle until the age of 7 or 8, which means they go to sleep at night sucking on a bottle. The liquid contains sugar that lays on the teeth all night, and the end result is decay. These people also need to be educated in pre-natal care. We need to get a program into the schools teaching tooth brushing and flossing and get them off the bottle and the sugar. People were afraid to have there teeth worked on. They would ask us if they were going to go blind if we extracted there teeth!"
Subscribe to this blog for continued stories and photos about the medical volunteer work of these dentists and the need for international health programs in Vietnam.
Dr. Namik K. Baran first came to Physicians for Peace in the 1980’s. At the time, Dr. Baran was a Professor of Yeditepe University in Istanbul, Turkey, and Chief of the Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery there. He reached out to Dr. Charles E. Horton, Physicians for Peace founder, to find a way to improve care for amputees in his country. Both men were plastic surgeons, committed to providing the same level of care to patients in the developing world as that provided to patients in the United States. Over the years, they succeeded brilliantly.
From 1985 to 2005, by Dr. Baran’s account, he participated in 98 Physicians for Peace missions, in countries as wide-ranging as Turkey, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Ghana, Peru, and Georgia. These missions were primarily devoted to the Physicians for Peace Walking Free program, which provides medical care and rehabilitation for amputees who, by the nature of their disability, need continuing care throughout their lives.
Dr. Baran counts 760 doctors and 116 allied health professionals who participated in these missions, giving 339 training lectures to in-country medical professionals, and treating 4730 patients, healing their bodies and changing their lives.
When Dr. Horton passed away in 2006, Dr. Baran’s tribute was telling:
“The past 36 years of my acquaintance with Dr. Horton were filled with scientific work and friendship. I remember his visits to Turkey for our combined activities in Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Palestine to help the needy victims of congenital abnormalities and accidents. Charlie’s memory will stay with us forever.”
You can help us continue medical mission trips to these under-served regions of the world -
In July, 2009, Physicians for Peace is sending one if its largest missions to the Middle East, where we have been 17 times before. While there, a team of over 25 medical professionals will train hundreds of physicians in the region in the latest medical techniques, and treat dozens of adults and children for a wide range of medical conditions, including cleft palates, burn reconstruction, accident trauma, diabetes, and other illnesses.
The team will consist of a wide range of medical specialists, such as Pediatric Endocrinologists, Craniofacial Plastic Surgeons, Pediatric Oncologists, Nurses, Anesthesiologists - every specialty needed to heal those injured by the ravages of war and conflict.
Through these efforts in clinical care and international health education, the newly-trained medical professionals in the West Bank will be able to treat thousands and thousands of patients, bringing some hope to a region sorely needing support. But this mission isn’t fully funded. We need your support! You can donate medical supplies or make a contribution to help make this mission possible!
Dr. Jack Bevivino has been working with Physicians for Peace for over 15 years. While at his home in Rhode Island, where he can be found playing hockey and riding his Harley, it's hard to imagine that he is also the humble physician referred to as “Dr. Jack” - admired, applauded and cared for by a group of surgeons, nurses, and techs in a hospital over 5,000 miles away in Ramallah in the West Bank. When he returns each year he is welcomed with open arms back into their surgery suites where learning begins immediately in new techniques and skill sets. To watch Dr. Jack in action is a pure treat!
From 1980-81, Dr. Jack Bevivino was a Chief Resident at Rhode Island Hospital, working under Dr. Eid Mustafa, a Plastic Surgeon and a volunteer for Physicians for Peace. Dr. Mustafa, a native of Palestine, was organizing a medical mission to the Middle East, one of Physicians for Peace’s earliest mission destinations. Dr. Mustafa asked Dr. Bevivino to join the team on their scheduled visits to Nablus, Ramallah, Gaza and Hebron. Dr. Bevivino quickly accepted, thinking that this would be a one-time experience. Little did he know that he would spend the next several years volunteering his time and talent to Physicians for Peace, on medical mission trips to help the people of the West Bank. A sign of Dr. Bevivino’s dedication is that he has lost count of the missions he has actually been on, saying he thinks it’s “ten or eleven, you’d have to check.”
Dr. Bevivino is a Craniofacial Surgeon, and his medical volunteer work with Physicians for Peace has concentrated on cleft palates, facial traumas, and burn reconstructive surgery. Many of the cases are young children, so Dr. Bevivino often partners with Pediatric Surgeons.
When Dr. Bevivino looks back at the past decade with Physicians for Peace, his strongest impression is his visits to several of the refugee camps in the region.
“It's been so difficult to realize that the camps have been in existence for almost 60 years and several generations, and to see the despair that these people are living with each day.”
You can help our volunteers continue Dr. Bevivino's vital medical mission work to help those in need in this struggling region of the world -
In July, 2009, Physicians for Peace is sending one if its largest missions to the Middle East, where we have been 17 times before. While there, a team of over 25 medical professionals will train hundreds of physicians in the region in the latest medical techniques, and treat dozens of adults and children for a wide range of medical conditions, including cleft palates, burn reconstruction, accident trauma, diabetes, and other illnesses.
The team will consist of a wide range of medical specialists, such as Pediatric Endocrinologists, Craniofacial Plastic Surgeons, Pediatric Oncologists, Nurses, Anesthesiologists, every specialty needed to heal those injured by the ravages of war and conflict.
Through these efforts in clinical care and international health education, the newly-trained medical professionals in the West Bank will be able to treat thousands and thousands of patients, bringing some hope to a region sorely needing it. But this mission isn’t fully funded. We need your support! You can donate medical supplies or make a contribution to help make this mission possible!
Dr. Namik K. Baran first came to Physicians for Peace in the 1980’s. At the time, Dr. Baran was a Professor of Yeditepe University in Istanbul, Turkey, and Chief of the Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery there. He reached out to Dr. Charles E. Horton, Physicians for Peace founder, to find a way to improve care for amputees in his country. Both men were plastic surgeons, committed to providing the same level of care to patients in the developing world as that provided to patients in the United States. Over the years, they succeeded brilliantly. 
Dr. Jack Bevivino has been working with Physicians for Peace for over 15 years. While at his home in Rhode Island, where he can be found playing hockey and riding his Harley, it's hard to imagine that he is also the humble physician referred to as “Dr. Jack” - admired, applauded and cared for by a group of surgeons, nurses, and techs in a hospital over 5,000 miles away in Ramallah in the West Bank. When he returns each year he is welcomed with 
Dr. Bevivino is a Craniofacial Surgeon, and his medical volunteer work with Physicians for Peace has concentrated on cleft palates, facial traumas, and burn reconstructive surgery. Many of the cases are young children, so Dr. Bevivino often partners with Pediatric Surgeons. 
When Dr. Bevivino looks back at the past decade with Physicians for Peace, his strongest impression is his visits to several of the refugee camps in the region. 
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