Taking surgical services to rural Ecuador.

摘要

Rural hospitals in this impoverished nation are often underequipped and understaffed. Yet, for poor rural residents, even the trip to this colonial mountain city 350 km south of the capital city of Quito for routine surgery is often long and difficult and beyond the means of many.So, rather than bring patients to the city, for the past 12 years the Cinterandes Foundation has brought the operating room to them."The patient who comes from rural areas doesn't know the city, and has many problems", says Ana Vicuna, an anaesthesiologist and Cinterandes' director. "Generally (the patient) has to wait 2 days for an appointment and 15 days for the surgery. Besides that, there have been many problems in public health-many strikes."The Foundation's seven-member surgical team visits the countryside in a white truck outfitted with preparation and operating rooms. The truck is equipped with air conditioning, its own water supply, and a hydraulic lift to transfer patients to and from the operating table.The 3x5 metre operating room contains a laparoscopic tower, an anaesthesia machine, and suction and cautery equipment.During the past 12 years, the mobile surgery clinic has performed some 5200 surgeries, including tonsillectomies, removal of superficial tumours, and hernia repairs on patients who are judged to be at low risk for complications.