San Juan, Bolivia 2008
San Juan, Bolivia was a Jesuit colony that was influenced by Japanese migrants following WWII. The Japanese built a small surgical hospital, and there was a small health clinic.
Town roads were dirt with open ditches. Many small open shops lined the main street. Lori is a resident from California that joined our team.
We performed a variety of open surgical cases within the limits ot their technology. Above, I am assisted by my brother, an orthopedic surgeon. I also assisted him with the orthopedic surgeries. To the left, I am seen with a local physician.
Portochuelo, Bolivia
Portochuela is a town located about 2 hours drive from Santa Cruz. The town has a small government hospital, but there are few physicians or resources in the area. We participated in 2 mission projects in this town lasting 2 weeks each. We performed a variety of open surgical procedures. Using instruments that I brought along with fabricated instruments, we performed the first transurethral prostatectomy that had been done here.
The "disposable" sheets and towels were washed and sterilized every night for re-use the following day.
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The local staff assisted with our surgeries.
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We were given an award by the town to thank us at the end of each project.
