05-AUG-C-8

 

REVIEW THE NUMBERS OF ERITREAN OPERATIONS AND PATIENTS FOR PFP SOLICITATION AND PLANS FOR SUPPLIES AND FACILITIES FOR FUTURE ERITREAN MISSIONS

 

 

 

From:      Glenn Geelhoed

To:        Margie

Date:      8/29/2005 3:31:44 PM

Subject:   Re: Recent PFP‑GWU program in Eritrea

 

Thanks for your comments!

 

I had added a very large CD of pictures, including two dozen rolls of Print film and over a thousand digital images some of which are being printed as well as several video clips.  I have made up three photo albums of the print pictures and had collaborated closely with Steve Katz in giving several spontaneous interviews for PFP on tape as well as the teaching during the operating sessions.

 

I have just packaged a large amount of text to Steve to add to his DVD 's and CD's which may be forthcoming to you.  We also plan to get together in Mindanoa Philippines in January.

 

I did scores of consultations each day, especially what I began to call "OR Door Consults" when I was in Somaliland.  I made rounds on other than surgical services, notably pediatrics and their rehydration unit, seeing at least twenty five additional patients per day depending on the turn over of the wards.  Formal evaluations and opinions were added to at least ten per day.  I had listed the operations in every field but neurosurgery in which I helped and taught: urology (prostatectomies times three) and a pyelolithotomy, plastic surgery (warts off nose, etc.) gynecology (hysterectomy), general surgery (hernias, gall bladders, bowel obstruction, peptic ulcer operations), oncology (several breast cancers and skin grafts), endocrine surgery (goiters galore) , thoracic (diaphragmatic hernia), pediatric surgery (infant hernias and removal FB in airway) totaling nearly forty major procedures

 

I taught the entire OR team, and even the scrub nurses and techs had review sessions on the tutorials (see 05‑Aug‑B‑6 and 11) with two Chinese surgeons being standby observers, only one of whom I helped operate, and Dr. HErugu being the principle "resident doctor" beneficiary.  I am sending her my text books and journals through a relative living in Virginia who will visit her soon.  The Eritrean medical students would be very junior in only two entering classes, but they were on vacation.  Nonetheless, two found their way tome when they heard what was being done at Hazhaz. I believe the Minister of Health had expressed his priority for a graduate training program with early consideration of surgical specialization for the GP's currently in the country as one group to be trained.  He was hoping to focus on the Orotta Teaching Hospital and was happy with what I had done at Hazhaz but was hoping to expand that activity over to Orotta.  Orotta is such a new facility that I feel almost as though I might be redundant in a near‑first‑world setting!

 

I brought four bags of surgical supplies and instruments, but I had needed very little that Hazhaz Hospital did not have or could not get over from Orotta.  I donated some good used instruments which they seemed to have in abundance.  I also brought consumable supplies such as gloves and suture and lap pads.  the biggest hit were the toys and stuffed animals I had distributed on the rounds in the pediatric wings.

 

I believe that the autoclave at Hazhaz should be repaired.  It can function now by borrowing the excess redundant capacity of Orotta, and with a few things carried over form Halibet.  We had superb Recovery Room services with Tzion at Hazhaz, but it would be difficult to keep a patient who needed ventilator support overnight.

 

I would support the recommendations in the priority listing that Dr. Mezgheber would prioritize for what needs to be put together for future use‑‑and fully plan on being part of the users of the facilities in the future!

 

GWG

 

>>> "Margie" <mmazzarella@physiciansforpeace.org> 8/29/2005 3:02:14 PM >>>

Hello, I am the grants manager for Physicians For Peace, Margie Mazzarella.

I've read your journal of your surgeries and visit to Eritrea.  I am trying

to compile data for grants on each medical program so that I can go after

potential grants with foundations. 

 

 

 

From your journal, I believe your surgeries (10 days) took place at Hazhaz

hospital.  Being a non‑medical person, I have noted the goiter, thoracotomy,

breast cancer, and hysterectomy surgeries undertaken.  Your patients were of

all genders and ages too.   For the sake of information collection,

 

I have a few questions:

 

How many people did you give a consultation to during these 10 days?

 

How many surgeries did you and your team end up doing?

 

 

 

How many Eritrean medical staff received training of some type from you or

the team?

 

I did notice the GW students tutorials and training. 

 

 

 

I created a spreadsheet for this purpose and emailed it but with the team

operating in 4 hospitals, it's unlikely everyone saw it.  We hope in the

future to use some of the students and/or other participating members on the

team to assist in data collection.  I can see from your journal that your

students were very busy under your tutelage.

 

 

 

PFP is also trying to get biomedical technicians on missions so that

machines like the autoclave can be repaired.  In your opinion, should the

Hazhaz hospital autoclave be replaced or repaired?

 

 

 

Aster Makonnen gave us the list of supplies below.  What could you add to

this? I am submitting a "wish list" to a foundation in Utah which receives

donated medical supplies and repairs medical equipment to give to other

groups.

 

 

 

*         10 Blood pressure apparatus (automatic)

 

*         2 Pulse oximeter (to check O2)

 

*         50 Blood sugar machines with strips

 

*         20 Thermometers (automatic)

 

*         20 Sthetescopes

 

 

 

   Thanks for any guidance and hope to meet you someday.

 

 

 

Margie Callahan Mazzarella

 

Grants Manager

 

Physicians for Peace

 

229 West Bute Street, Suite 200

 

Norfolk, VA 23510

 

757‑625‑7569 ext 321