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Approximately 2 hours from downtown’s Quito; the neighbourhood of Pomasqui has an elementary school called “Quiteño Libre” (which means “Free Quito People”). This school approximately holds every day up to 750 students that belong to of very low-income families. The “American-Adventist Clinic in Ecuador” decided to invite the non governmental organization of “Charity Anywhere” to participate of a medical and dental expedition. Some professionals and volunteers from “Charity Anywhere” supported this project. Our Medical and Dental Professionals were: Dr. Alberto Vargas (Medical Practitioner-Epidemiologist); Dr. Isabel Zambrano DDS (Dental-Paediatrician); Dr. Ximena Tapia DDS; Dr. Sofia Guerra DDS; Mr. Carlos Celin (Technician); Mr. Juan Pablo Trujillo (Logistics); Eng. Julio Zambrano (Sterilization). Some professionals and volunteers from “American-Adventist Clinic in Ecuador” also supported this project. They were: Dr. Carlos Grau (Ophthalmologist); Preacher Jara; Mss. Rosa Suntasig as well as Mss. Sandra Suntasig (Ophthalmologist assistants). When we first got to this school; we were able to start soon because the infrastructure was already all sat up. As far as General Medicine; some teachers were the only one consulting us because of chronic illnesses; such as Hypertension disease, Arthritis and Menopausal Syndrome. Most of the school children were healthy; we could not find any major healthy disease; with an exception of only one child that had an Intestinal Poly Parasite Disease who deserved to get a medical prescription. Most of these children got Vitamins and Ferric Acid capsules. On Ophthalmology was neat to detect several cases of “Accommodation”. That happens when children pretend not to have any visual problems. But once they diagnosed of this disability; it is pretty often to see how these same individuals increase their G.P.A. or grades. Unfortunately; those parents that send their children to “Quiteño Libre” Elementary never had to do a previous Visual Examination to discard Learning Disabilities on their children. We could see that sometimes parenthood in Quito simply do not know how to prevent, help or correct Learning Disabilities related to Visual problems. In fact; at least a 90% of all the students consulted for their first time our Ophthalmologist. We only hope parents will not assume that Learning Disabilities and Low Grades are reasons to punish their children. In order to earn good grades; parents should make sure their children first read well because their eye-capacities allows them to do so. If a child cannot read very well; maybe is time to get an ophthalmic examination to re assure his/her physical condition allows this child to read.From this point of view; the activity done at this school was very valuable and appreciated by these students. The “American-Adventist Clinic” also is expecting some of these students to do a much better examination.
The medical consult behaved on the following manner:
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GENERAL MEDICINE |
61 |
OPHTHALMOLOGY |
124 |
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Since all of our patients were either teachers or students from the same elementary; this population can be described on Medical Terms as one “Captive”. The Age/Gender distribution was following; keeping always on mind that most of them varied their age within 6 and 8 years: |
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PATIENTS ATTENDED ON DENTISTRY THIS OCCASION: |
Consult according to Age and Sex only: |
MEN |
104 |
WOMEN |
108 |
TOTAL |
212 |
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One up to 5 years |
1 |
6 to 15 years |
203 |
16 up to 45 years |
7 |
46 up to 65 years |
1 |
TOTAL |
212 |
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DENTAL PROCEDURES DONE THIS OCCACION:
FILLINGS |
59 |
EXODONTIAS |
20 |
FLOURIDE TREATMENTS |
168 |
TOTAL |
240 |
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We finish this project having the satisfaction of had helped this group of children. The mission was done by 4 pm, local time. |
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ESMERALDAS - ECUADOR, MAY 3 - 6, 2008 |
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Esmeraldas; also known as the “green province” is located at the western coast of Ecuador. The temperature there is warming humid; and varies between 21 and 25 C°. It has a territorial surface of 15,216 square kilometres; and the population is of 385, 223 inhabitants. A great portion of its economy depends upon the shrimp and banana exportation. It is also produced cocoa beans or powder, tobacco, and coffee. The Tourist, Fishing and Petrochemical industry are big there too. Local handicrafts are made of the native damahagua-tree shells, jeweller of black coral, wicker baskets and musical instruments. Unfortunately; over the last years this province has been affected by the illegal business of drug trafficking. That eventually produced a huge increase of violence. Smuggling of chemicals use on the refinement of cocaine is seen every day in Esmeraldas. This situation must change and be controlled soon; otherwise the future will be full of insecurity, speculation on prices of first need as arising consequences from this illegal business. Esmeraldas offers its infrastructure on the following places: the southern beaches and the ecological reserve of “Cayapas-Mataje”. The capital province is Esmeraldas-city was settled September 21st, 1526 and is one of the main ports of Ecuador. It’s also the last stop for the Trans Andean petroleum oil pipeline. It possesses an airport for local flights with connections to Cali, Colombia. The province of Esmeraldas also counts with the Higher Mangrove Swamps known too as Mangle. They are located at the northern side of the province; near by to the town of San Lorenzo and consequently to the Colombian border. Esmeraldas topography consists of even and flat land mixed with a couple of small hills of 300 mts. maximum. Towns like Atacames and Cojimies posses some hills where the weather can change from tropical sub humid or subtropical humid to very humid subtropical with an average temperature of 23 C degrees. This province is made of the following counties: Esmeraldas, Eloy Alfaro, Muisne, Quininde, San Lorenzo, Atacames and Río Verde. This humanitarian mission was done at the city of Esmeraldas; owed to poverty found on its suburbs. Misery and unhealthy conditions reign on these particular areas. The Ecuadorian Navy did choose the operational center at a popular neighbourhood called “Lemmon port” where a catholic-salesian order offers communitarian help. This mission which was presided by Dr. Washington Zambrano DDS; did count with the collaboration of two medical doctors: Dr. Vargas (Medical Epidemiologist) and Dr. Gloria Polo (Internal Medicine) along to five last year medical students from the Quito, Ecuador Medical School. The mentioned students were: Monica Campoverde, Monica Chango, Daniela Carvajal, Nancy Freire and Alex Felix. Additionally, Dr. Carlos Grau and his assistant Rosa Suntasig supported us doing Ophthalmology. The Ecuadorian Navy sent five medical doctors and one dentist to help on this two-day service project. Ms. Marianela Ruiz and Mr. Juan Zambrano and Eng. Patricio Guzman helped prescribing in our pharmacy. The distribution of the consult over the two days of medical service was done on the following way: |
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Paediatrics |
General Med |
Ophthalmology |
TOTAL |
4th of May 2008 |
135 |
315 |
61 |
511 |
5th of May 2008 |
81 |
151 |
52 |
283 |
TOTAL |
216 |
466 |
113 |
795 |
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| In addition to all the mention above, our doctors did 186 anti-parasite treatments. Therefore, the final amount of patients seen came up to a big number of 981 patients given medical attention. |
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Although the availability of the participants was scheduled for two days of attention; our medical attention during the second day was only done over that morning. As far as the attention given on the specialty of General Medicine; 5 practitioners participated along to 5 students that are currently members of the rotary shift on the Quito, Medical school. The demand of consult mainly happened over the fist day of attention.The graphic at next shows how the consult on General Medicine turned out: |
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AGE |
MEN |
% |
WOMEN |
% |
TOTAL |
% |
-1 year |
10 |
6,2 |
10 |
3 |
20 |
4,3 |
1-5 years |
37 |
23,2 |
20 |
6,5 |
57 |
12,2 |
6-15 years |
58 |
36,4 |
71 |
23,2 |
129 |
27,7 |
16-45 years |
38 |
23,8 |
144 |
47,1 |
182 |
39,1 |
46-65 years |
10 |
6,2 |
48 |
15,7 |
58 |
12,4 |
Older 65 |
7 |
4,2 |
13 |
4,3 |
20 |
4,3 |
TOTAL |
160 |
100 |
306 |
100 |
466 |
100 |
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Our doctors could tell children there had protein mal nutrition and intestinal poly parasitizes; and respiratory diseases were the main reasons for medical consults with us. Skin problems were also a representative disease there owed to the humidity on the region. We could not do much on helping our patients as far as orientating them on sexual abuse cases; which had a high rate there. The manner on how adult inhabitants of Esmeraldas eat produce on them arterial Hypertension, a High Cholesterol rate or sometimes even both. Women there do not plan their sexual life; consequently their pregnancies or babies will no be normal, well fed or healthy as they should be. It is also concerning the elevate rate of infections that attack the reproductive system within the inhabitants of this Ecuadorian province.Two pediatricians that are members of the Ecuadorian Navy came to the conclusion that the pediatric population occupies a significant part of the population-pyramid; unfortunately this population here is not really protected of even worse well taken care of. The social and familiar environments do not collaborate on this health problem. Otherwise it would be hard to explain the existence of third world county-pathologies on this region. The following chart explains the behavior of the pediatric consult: |
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AGE |
MEN |
% |
WOMEN |
% |
TOTAL |
% |
-1 year |
23 |
20,7 |
21 |
20 |
44 |
20,4 |
1-5 years |
48 |
43,2 |
42 |
40 |
90 |
41,7 |
6-15 years |
40 |
36,1 |
42 |
40 |
82 |
37,9 |
TOTAL |
111 |
100 |
105 |
100 |
216 |
100 |
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JAHUAPAMBA, SIMSIUCO, LA JOYA - ECUADOR, MAY 19 -22, 2008 |
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The Charity Anywhere staff left Quito with the desire of fortifying the covenant of Medical Assistance subscribed by both of these institutions last year. This time the Municipal Government of Otavalo had to separate certain areas for the volunteers of Charity Anywhere to work at. These inhabitants of these areas were very poor and needy; and most of them never even heard of the medical assistance offered by Charity Anywhere every other month there. From May 19th until May 22nd we visited the indigenous communities of Sinsihuco, Jahuapamba, Carabuela and the Jewel. Our equipment and clinics had to be moved daily from place to place; which was demanding but necessarily. The response of the inhabitants toward our medical assistance was as always very positive. Those who were benefited this time were again very thankful too. One thing though that catched our attention was how much destructed their fields were after 8 months of a winter this year. The owners of these farms practically lost 80% of their harvest; and obviously that had affected their income or economical situation. We work as always under the direction of Dr. Washington Zambrano DDS. This time the medical department of Charity Anywhere consisted on two doctors: Dr. Alberto Vargas (Medical Epidemiologist) and Dr. Gloria Polo (Internal Medicine Specialist). Along two these full time practitioners; Charity Anywhere Foundation also counted with the support of four Medical Students from the last year of the Quito Medical School (Internal Rotative-Shift Program). The names of these medical students were: Adriana Falconí, Catherine Fuente, Veronica Cañar and Jose Antonio Chavez. Our Dental Department was made of: Dr. Isabel Zambrano DDS (Dental Paediatrician), Dr Ximena Tapia DDS, Dr. Lily Subia, and another three students of last year from the Quito Dental School. Their names are at next: Adriana Vinueza, Johanna Sanchez and Gardenia Sangucho. The volunteers Eng. Julio Zambrano doing sterilization and Carlos Celin as the equipment technician also were part of our mobile Dental Clinics. Juan F Zambrano and Thalia Espinoza were assigned to work at the Pharmacy. Marianela Ruiz did Glucose tests and RN Carmen Lascano did vital Signs on a separate station for both procedures before clinical diagnosis of our medical physicians. The representative of the Municipal Government of Otavalo on its Medical Area was Dr. Olga Farinango; who helped coordinate themes of logistics organizing patients and those local volunteers that also came to help out. The Charity Anywhere staff left from its headquarters in Quito by 6:00 a.m. hoping to have enough time to be able to attend the first Otavalo community of Sinsihuco. By 9 am our clinics were already sat up for us to start the attention. In Sinsihuco was prescribed 97 prescriptions; and the consult behaved according to what is shown at the next graphic: |
Age |
Men |
Percentage |
Women |
Percentage |
Total |
Percentage |
-1 year |
4 |
8.5 |
2 |
3.1 |
6 |
5,4 |
1-5 years |
8 |
17,1 |
6 |
9,4 |
14 |
12,6 |
6-15 years |
10 |
21,2 |
12 |
18,8 |
22 |
19,8 |
16-45 years |
11 |
23,4 |
28 |
43,7 |
39 |
35,2 |
46-65 years |
8 |
17,1 |
9 |
14,1 |
17 |
15,3 |
+65 years |
6 |
12,7 |
7 |
10,9 |
13 |
11,7 |
TOTAL |
47 |
100 |
64 |
100 |
111 |
100 |
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| Once the journey was done; we immediately started to think about the next day project at the small village of Jahuapamba; 15 minutes away from down town Otavalo. At next day our staff of doctors and dentists from Charity Anywhere left out hotel in direction to Jahuapamba where the medical consult behave on the following manner: |
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Age |
Men |
Percentage |
Women |
Percentage |
Total |
Percentage |
-1 year |
2 |
2.8 |
3 |
2,4 |
5 |
2,6 |
1-5 years |
16 |
22.2 |
24 |
19,5 |
40 |
20,5 |
6-15 years |
17 |
23.6 |
31 |
25,2 |
48 |
24,6 |
16-45 years |
27 |
37.5 |
44 |
35,8 |
71 |
36,4 |
46-65 years |
8 |
11.1 |
15 |
12.2 |
23 |
11,8 |
+65 years |
2 |
2.8 |
6 |
4,9 |
8 |
4,1 |
TOTAL |
72 |
100 |
123 |
100 |
195 |
100 |
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Now in our third day; it was scheduled to visit the population of Carabuela which is the closest in relationship to Otavalo city. This occasion was used too to give anti parasite medicine and fluoride to children to the nursery home and Elementary school: “Happy Little Faces”. By doing this, 107 children were benefited with fluoride and anti parasite medicine. We also were able to donate 118 medical prescriptions. |
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Age |
Men |
Percentage |
Women |
Percentage |
Total |
Percentage |
-1 year |
1 |
1.8 |
2 |
2.2 |
3 |
2.2 |
1-5 years |
5 |
9.3 |
3 |
3.3 |
8 |
5.5 |
6-15 years |
8 |
14.8 |
6 |
6.6 |
14 |
9.7 |
16-45 years |
25 |
46.3 |
59 |
65.7 |
84 |
58.3 |
46-65 years |
11 |
20.4 |
13 |
14.5 |
24 |
16.7 |
+65 years |
4 |
7.4 |
7 |
7.7 |
11 |
7.6 |
TOTAL |
54 |
100 |
90 |
100 |
144 |
100 |
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On our last day of work; it was scheduled to visit the medical Center “La Joya”. This facility used to a textile factory; then it became empty until the Municipal Government of Otavalo bought the property. Ultimately, Charity Anywhere Foundation-Ecuador started the refurnishing of this facility in association to the Municipal Government of Otavalo with the ultimately idea of making it look into a Medical Center. |
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