HERO medical team completes 31 successful surgeries

Mar 18, 2018 News

A medical team from the Health and Education Relief Organisation (HERO) has concluded a one-week surgical mission to Guyana, completing 31 successful surgeries. Eleven of these cases emanated from the hinterland.
The team of approximately 46 doctors and volunteers was led by Director John Mitchell. Also forming part of this mission was a plastic surgery team, making its third trip here.
The operations which were done at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), were mostly pediatric in nature. Others involved orthopaedic surgery. The procedures included correcting children with Development Displacement of the Hip (DDH), Meniscal repairs among others.

One of the surgeons (Dr. Watson at extreme right) explains to
Minister Lawrence the recovery phase of each of the patients

Director, John Mitchell of HERO said, “One of the goals of the mission is not only to provide care but also to transfer knowledge… What we hope to see going forward is that the senior guys transfer the knowledge to their juniors, as we keep building on operating procedures. Those junior surgeons (can) also learn those skills in going forward.”
Dr. Mitchell said that after coming to Guyana for 12 years, there are services that can be independently provided by the GPHC. “Over the years we have evolved to the point where we don’t have to do most of the procedures ourselves.”
Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GPHC, Brigadier Ret’d George Lewis, thanked the team for the continuous support of the local health system. CEO Lewis said that based on the increased work being done by HERO, an invitation will always be open for them “to provide their beneficial services.”
Minister Lawrence recognised HERO’s “invaluable contribution” to developing the capacity of local doctors. She stated, “It will take Guyana a very long time if we were to send people out and come back and to be able to perform those services that your team comes here and perform. We would have a lot of people waiting for these services… For that, we are forever grateful.”
During a visit with some of the pediatric patients in the surgical ward, the Minister found them recovering well and they and their family members in high spirits.
One mother, Malissia Andrews, thanked the team, as well as Minister Lawrence, for facilitating the life-changing operation that corrected a DDH condition her son had. “I want to say thank you to the team on behalf of all the parents for giving our children a regular life. I can’t begin to describe how I feel because I have been waiting for a while,” Andrews said.
Dr. Mitchell added that for future trips, there may the possibility of breast reconstruction surgeries for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
“We have so far not been able to identify a cohort of patients for this procedure but that is still our goal.”
The Health and Educational Relief Organisation (HERO), is a not-for-profit humanitarian organisation based in the United States of America (USA). The medical team is generally dedicated to providing free, high-quality health care and educational support services in communities throughout the Caribbean.
The HERO organisation implements its primary mission by conducting annual medical and educational outreach programmes staffed by volunteer specialists in all branches of medical and surgical care, nutritional, therapeutic and even follow up services.
With regards to providing medical education for health professionals, HERO ensures that doctors, more particularly surgeons, have a ‘hands-on’ approach to learning new skills in their respective fields. (Delicia Haynes)

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