We Serv Mission for the Poor Binan, Philippines February 2007

1. We Serv Mission for the Poor Binan, Philippines February 2007 Dominic Albo, Peter Brant-Zawadzki, Dirk Noyes, Greg Livers, Courtney Scaife and Marcus Torgenson Mission Coordinator-Brenda Yonzon Salt Lake City, Utah USA IntroductionA week long surgery mission to Binan, Philippines commenced in February of 2007. Three attending surgeons and three residents from the University of Utah participated. The goals of the mission were to provide surgical care to the poor and underserved residents of Binan, to interact with, teach, and learn from local surgeons, to distribute medical supplies for use by the local health care system, and to experience the Filipino culture, sites and way of life. The Team Prepped for a thyroidectomy Dr. Torgenson looks for his next clinic patient DiscussionDuring the one week mission, dozens of patients received operations they could not otherwise pay for including thyroidectomies, cholecystectomies, parotidectomies and herniorraphies. Filipino attendings taught Utah residents and Utah attendings taught Filipino residents. We learned to function in the heat and humidity of poorly lit ORs with unreliable instruments while the phenomenal OR staff accomodated the rush of patients and the chaos caused by our presence.When the work was done, we made expeditions to Pagsanjan Falls, Manila and Puerto Galera while enjoying the local cuisine. It was a memorable experience and we hope to participate in future medical missions. Bandages used to support the OR lights Dr. Noyes samples a deep- fried, day-old chick Drs. Torgenson and Scaife after an open cholecystectomy The top-notch OR staff Shopping for knives Dormitory accomodations across from the hospital. Courses offered at the University of Perpetual Health are listed on the side of the building. On a raft under Pagsanjan Falls Drs. Albo and Brant strategizing in the OR The three amigos