Volunteer Simon sterilizing instruments
Volunteer Simon moving a patient into surgery
A patient undergoing surgery
The project itself was short and powerful, but it was the end result of weeks of many long hours of intense preparation. To start with, US$60,000 needed to be raised. Then there were the logistical preparations, such as organizing stocks of medicines and donated items, preparing lists of medicines needed, getting several estimates and comparing them, readjusting the list of medicines and equipment so that we stayed within our budget, and getting alternate drugs and anaesthetics, even though there are shortages on the market, all the while communicating with our head doctor to make sure all was in order before the starting day.
Time was invested sterilizing all equipment and materials for the operation theatre, communicating with as many doctors as we could so our workforce of volunteers would be solid, and visiting many of them to encourage them to give their services to help the poor. Then more time was invested in logistics (transporting personnel, pharmaceutical supplies, etc.) throughout the duration of the project.
We also took care to secure accommodations and security, with mobile police being present on site for crowd control. We visited all the local government officials, traditional rulers, and hospital staff involved to secure the smooth running of the project. We also contacted the main media outlets, so that the project could be well-publicized nationwide, and helped organize the opening ceremony that many government officials and local political leaders and traditional rulers attended.
We treated free of charge a total of 4,264 patients. We carried out 99 general surgeries (mostly hernia), 37 eye surgeries, gave 604 eye consultations, and the same number of pairs of glasses. We also saw 248 patients in the dental clinic, performing dental operations and making new dentures for quite a few of them. We also gave counselling, comfort, and encouragement to many poor people whose ailments we couldn't take care of during this short programme, and prayed for them, giving renewed hope that someone cares, and that somehow God would see them through to full recovery.
We attended more patients in this project than in any of the medical missions we had done before, so it was definitely worth the many man-hours invested to make it happen.