We are a small group of people that are making another trip, our 5th, to Yantalo, Peru. Including myself, a pediatric plastic surgeon, our group includes an anesthesiologist, nurse anesthetist, nurses for OR, recovery, and post op. We will screen 80+ patients Sunday on arrival, and plan surgeries for the next 5 days. These are families / children that would never be able to afford the trip to Lima where they might be able to obtain surgery.
The hospital was a dream and creation of a Peruvian / US physician, Luis Vasquez, built with the help of local / international persons, to provide care to the local population of the Amazon area of Peru. Our group in October provides surgical treatment to children with cleft lip / palate deformities, congenital anomalies, burn contractures and scars, congenital and traumatic hand problems, etc. These children would never have an opportunity to have surgery without this organization!
We have the opportunity to change children's lives by offering them surgery, but also have the opportunity to work with medical students and residents from Lima who come to work with us. Some carry what they have learned back to practices in Peru, many will see and care for those we have operated upon, and several of these students have gone on to residencies in the US to further their education and skills.
This was our 5th return to Yantalo, Peru, in the northern part of Peru in the Amazon area. Yantalo Foundation has built a fabulous hospital in this remote area to reach those people who cannot make or afford the medical care in the major cities. Presently, it is staffed by teams from the states who work side by side with the local staff each month, delivering health care to hundreds of families and their children. Our plastic surgery team screens 40-80 patients and operates the following week on those we are able to do there. Many, particularly the cleft lip / palate children, require multiple stages to achieve final results, and it is wonderful to see some of these families again in subsequent visits! Please don't hesitate to contact us if you would like to go with us, there is always a need. Thank you, Doximity, for helping us to help others!
