Vandy Rattana; Two children with cleft palates wait among other patients at the Children’s Surgical Center in Phnom Penh on Wednesday.The Phnom Penh Post
Written by Mom Kunthear and Camilla Bjerrekaer
Thursday, 18 September 2008
A team of American medics has spent a week in the Kingdom performing life-changing surgery on those who otherwise could not access treatment
THE operating room is crowded. Three separate teams of surgeons are hard at work: One patient is having his tonsils extracted, another man has just had a thyroid tumor the size of a fist removed from his throat. Outside, a line of patients stretches away into the distance - hundreds of people hoping for surgery that may change their lives forever.
For more than a week, a medical team from the American Tripler Army Medical Center and the US Air Force have been carrying out a Sight, Sound and Smile medical mission in Cambodia.
Funded by the Peace through Health Care initiative, the mission aims to provide free surgical care for patients that otherwise could not afford such treatment.
Dr Mitchell Ramsey, an ear, nose and throat surgeon and the leader of the medical team that consists of a dozen surgeons, an anaesthesiologist, nurses and a medical engineer, said the team is focusing on disorders that can be life-threatening or affect a person's ability to work, to eat, to hear or to see, adding that about 200 patients have already been screened for surgery.
"We won't be able to do surgery on all of them this year, but we hope to come back next year. There are just a lot of needs ... and it is hard to tell them that we can't operate this time." said Dr Phalyka Oum, a Cambodian physician who helped to coordinate the mission along with the US Embassy, the Children's Surgical Center (CSC) and various NGOs.
" I had thyroid disease for 12 years and it made me dizzy and exhausted. "
Changing lives
The Sight, Sound and Smile mission is set to change the lives of approximately 70 patients who will receive surgery to correct loss of vision or hearing, head or neck tumours and cranial or facial problems such as a cleft lip or palate.
Chou Yun, 28, from Prey Veng is one of these lucky patients. She had surgery to cure her thyroid disease two days ago and is already noticing the difference. Though she is sore from the operation, she can now breathe better and her voice problems have subsided. "I had thyroid disease for 12 years and it made me dizzy and exhausted. I didn't have it cured because I didn't have the $300 for the operation."
According to Ramsey, the team has been overwhelmed with thyroids, goiters and tumours as well as many incidents of chronic ear infections. "We have seen a huge spectrum of very far advanced disorders that generally are not seen in the US," said Ramsey.
‘‘Part of the mission objective has been to exchange ideas and share information. Coming from the US, of course, we bring some information that is useful here, but we also get just as much information, techniques and new experiences that benefit us and help us learn," he said.
‘‘This without doubt has been the most gratifying experience in my career. To be able to come and meet such gracious people who have such need," Ramsey said. ‘‘I walk home every night and I am on cloud nine because of the experiences I'm having."
Written by Mom Kunthear and Camilla Bjerrekaer
Thursday, 18 September 2008
A team of American medics has spent a week in the Kingdom performing life-changing surgery on those who otherwise could not access treatment
THE operating room is crowded. Three separate teams of surgeons are hard at work: One patient is having his tonsils extracted, another man has just had a thyroid tumor the size of a fist removed from his throat. Outside, a line of patients stretches away into the distance - hundreds of people hoping for surgery that may change their lives forever.
For more than a week, a medical team from the American Tripler Army Medical Center and the US Air Force have been carrying out a Sight, Sound and Smile medical mission in Cambodia.
Funded by the Peace through Health Care initiative, the mission aims to provide free surgical care for patients that otherwise could not afford such treatment.
Dr Mitchell Ramsey, an ear, nose and throat surgeon and the leader of the medical team that consists of a dozen surgeons, an anaesthesiologist, nurses and a medical engineer, said the team is focusing on disorders that can be life-threatening or affect a person's ability to work, to eat, to hear or to see, adding that about 200 patients have already been screened for surgery.
"We won't be able to do surgery on all of them this year, but we hope to come back next year. There are just a lot of needs ... and it is hard to tell them that we can't operate this time." said Dr Phalyka Oum, a Cambodian physician who helped to coordinate the mission along with the US Embassy, the Children's Surgical Center (CSC) and various NGOs.
" I had thyroid disease for 12 years and it made me dizzy and exhausted. "
Changing lives
The Sight, Sound and Smile mission is set to change the lives of approximately 70 patients who will receive surgery to correct loss of vision or hearing, head or neck tumours and cranial or facial problems such as a cleft lip or palate.
Chou Yun, 28, from Prey Veng is one of these lucky patients. She had surgery to cure her thyroid disease two days ago and is already noticing the difference. Though she is sore from the operation, she can now breathe better and her voice problems have subsided. "I had thyroid disease for 12 years and it made me dizzy and exhausted. I didn't have it cured because I didn't have the $300 for the operation."
According to Ramsey, the team has been overwhelmed with thyroids, goiters and tumours as well as many incidents of chronic ear infections. "We have seen a huge spectrum of very far advanced disorders that generally are not seen in the US," said Ramsey.
‘‘Part of the mission objective has been to exchange ideas and share information. Coming from the US, of course, we bring some information that is useful here, but we also get just as much information, techniques and new experiences that benefit us and help us learn," he said.
‘‘This without doubt has been the most gratifying experience in my career. To be able to come and meet such gracious people who have such need," Ramsey said. ‘‘I walk home every night and I am on cloud nine because of the experiences I'm having."
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