Source/Credit: Salud y Paz | Guatemala
By Heather Nielsen, RN | October 18, 2011
This past week we had the grand opportunity to host Gift of Sight and Humanity First eye surgery clinics. In 6 days, 125 people received prescription eye glasses and 26 patients receive cataract surgery. At one moment, Dr. Khan turned to me and stated; “This patient should’ve had cataract surgery 30 years ago.”
The team we had the privilege of working with was one of the most generous and humble groups of people.
Because of the tropical depression E-12 that hit 2 weeks ago, we weren’t able to get the word out about surgery in the same way we usually do. That left us reaching for new ideas. At one point, one of our staff members was riding around in the villages ambulance with a megaphone; “Project Salud y Paz has eye specialists this week to do eye exams, eyeglasses, and cataract surgery. A cataract is a….” All in the native language of Quiche.
We also had a native pastor from a nearby village ride out to 5 other villages on his motorcycle bringing flyers and photos of what a cataract was and speaking with the villagers. We put ads on the radio in 4 different cities, and of course online (the easiest and quickest – but doesn’t reach the illiterate population that we exist to serve).
One of the greatest aspects of the team is that they had an in-country Coordinator and Medical Director (great resources which allowed us to concentrate on the patients). Also, one of the strongest purposes of the team was to work with ophthalmology students and ophthalmologists (operating) from Guatemala City. Thereby bringing providing partnership and 1:1 training on new techniques and trends in cataract surgery.
It was an honor to serve beside this group of professionals and the week went by so quickly.
Read original post here: Eye surgery week
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