For ten years Dr. Elliott Brender and myself have been going to Cambodia to teach and assist Cambodian surgeons how to perform surgery on needy patientswho cannot afford the cost of surgery. We travel to multiple small Provincial hospitals and one in Phnom Penh, Cambodia to operate on the neediest patients, provide suture material and new equipment. We spend time teaching the local surgeons quality state of the art general and plastic surgery. The latter is the difference we make in the overall surgical care provided in Cambodia.
Though medical care is supposedly free, we found that poor patients could not afford to pay the fees charged for surgery. By providing free sutures, equipment, additional surgical expertise these patient can now get necessary care.
We operate on patients the local doctors would not operate on due to lack of expertise or proper equipment.. We also stay in touch with our young surgeons who are practicing in the provinces and provide advice and support. These surgeons now provide quality surgical care to local needy patients.
This girl was burnt with acid 20 years ago. She traveled from Phnom Pehn to Preah Vihear for her surgery. I opened her mouth and started rebuilding her nose under local with sedation. I plan to return to continue.
Others in the group removed difficult gallbladders and thyroids, bypassed inoperable pancreatic cancers and removed huge uterine masses in Siemp Reap, Preah Vihear and Phnom Penh.
Check our complete pictures on Shutterfly or SurgeonsforCambodia.com
