Vietnam Trip Report - 2006
Since World Missions Possible^s first mission to Vietnam in 2003, some 452 children and young adults have been provided free surgeryand treatment.
A World Missions Possible surgical team of 26 volunteer medical professionals operated in Dong Nai Pediatric Hospital in Dong Nai province, Vietnam, from Feb. 26 through March 3, 2006. The team provided free reconstructive surgery to children with facial deformities and burn scar contractures.
The team consisted of 23 medical professionals and three non-medical volunteers.
They were joined in Dong Nai by colleagues from the National Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology in
Ho Chi Minh City.
The
team provided surgical procedures to 107 patients during the week.
WMP, in cooperation with other nonprofits, also donated equipment and supplies valued at over $5,000 to both the
Dong Nai Pediatric Hospital and The National Hospital for Odonto-Stomatology.
The mission team also hosted two all-day educational seminars in
Ho Chi Minh City.
The first was Therapeutic Care of the Burn Patient.
The second was Speech Therapy for the Cleft Palate Patient.
These seminars were attended by over 50 medical professionals.
Trip Report Vietnam - 2005
A World Missions Possible team of volunteer medical professionals was in Ho Chi Minh, City, Vietnam from January 8-14, 2005, where they provided free reconstructive surgery to children with facial deformities and burn scar contractures. The team consisted of 16 volunteer medical professionals and five non-medical volunteers. All non-medical volunteers funded their own trip expenses. Led by Tom Flood, R.N., the Medical team consisted of surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and a bio-medical technician.
The team was able to provide surgery for 114 patients. They did 38 cleft lip procedures, 39 cleft palate procedures and 37 burn scar revisions. All the patients did well with no untold outcomes. WMP also donated $8,880 worth of ear prosthesis to the Hospital to be donated to indigent patients over the course of the year. Medical Bridges donated a defribliator, Bovie unit and a pulse oximeter machine. The approximate value of these pieces of equipment is $10,000.
The total cost of the 2005 mission minus the donations in-kind was $31,886. This amounts to $279.00 per child. Future Plans: Our host would like for us to commit to a five-year plan to expand the surgical mission. They would like for us to have more emphasis on education and would like for us to assist with the development of dental clinics in the rural areas in south Vietnam. We are will be evaluating this proposal and will have a report by May 1st. At this time, the team plans on returning in February 2006 to continue our cleft lip and burn mission.
For the past four years, Tom Flood and a contingent of volunteer medical professionals have served the children of Vietnam in desperate need of plastic surgery. For example, in February of 2003, seventeen World Mission Possible volunteers traveled to Ho Chi Minh, Saigon, to screen and perform some 130 surgeries, including cleft palates, cleft lips and burin reconstruction surgeries.
“When we got there, it was nice to be greeted by the surgical residents of Ho Chi Minh and the director of the Institute of Odonto-Stomatology, Dr. Anh,” said Flood, “It’s always overwhelming, no matter how many mission you’ve done, when you see 125 kids and families waiting to be helped. Everyone wants to be the first to be treated.”
The team used over five operating tables in three rooms to perform the life-changing surgeries. Medical Bridges donated some of the surgical supplies, such as suture, surgical gloves, dressing supplies, medical tape, etc., used in the surgeries. The team also left the Vietnamese clinic a much-needed pulse oximeter, an electrosurgical unit, and a surgical headlight.
In 2003, for instance, the 17-member team kept the total cost of the mission to $26,715 – with the per-patient cost hitting a mere $205 for a chance at life-altering surgery! The funds for the trip come from private donors, like yourself, and volunteer donations.
The World Missions Possible team was invited back in 2004, when the team traveled out to the needy in hard-to-reach rural provinces to assess and screen patients.
So why do they keep returning year after year? For the kids, said Flood. “In 2002, we did identical twin boys, two-year-olds with cleft lips. The surgery was successful for both of them,” said Flood, “It’s wonderful to see them recovered and to smile now.”
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In 2003, Flood was able to assist in bringing Ms. Tam Ha, a 27-year-old burn victim with severe contractures, for extensive reconstructive surgery at Methodist Hospital in Houston. The all-volunteer staff included Dr. Tue Dinh and Greater Houston Anesthesia, who donated their time and expertise to successfully complete four surgeries for Ms. Ha who is now recovered and back in Vietnam.
The team would like to thank WelchAllyn and Leibinger for their wonderful goodwill programs. Also, Ethicon and Valley Lab contributed suture and equipment -- without these generous corporation^s donations, we would not be able to complete these surgical missions. We Thank You!
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