I have been part of a ReSurge team annually since 1993 (the organization used to be called Interplast. I will be joining surgeon, anesthesia and nursing team members to care for patients with reconstructive surgery needs, and more importantly in working with local staff and teaching. I will spend most of my teaching with fellow pedatricians, possibly with nursing staff who care for children.
The population in the area around Itigi will benefit..those with reconstructive surgery needs -- clefts, other congenital anomalies, burn contractures and other injuries.
We will work directly with a number of patietns during our week there, but more importantly we will teach, multiplying our efforts y empowering local physicians and nurses to care for more patients, and of course to train their colleagues and further multiply our efforts.
Wonderful week of collaborative teaching and pediatric medical and surgical care in this rural hospital in Tanzania. We have a long standing relationship with the hospital and our medical colleagues there. As team pediatrician I was able to give lectures, round with the pediatricians, both on our surgical patients and other pediatric patients. There is one staff pediatrician and several house officers, all very hard working, dealing with children with many complex medical needs and high acuity. The surgical patients received great care and our colleagues in Itigi had teaching from multiple very experiences health care providers in the US.
