A United States-based medical team during their one-week visit to Guyana successfully conducted in excess of 120 surgeries, all free of cost.
The Legacy of Healing (LOH) team of 35 medical practitioners was housed at the Davis Memorial Seventh-Day Adventist Hospital where the surgeries were conducted.
The LOH team, headed by Ohio-based Plastic Surgeon Dr Steve Schmidt, comprised surgeons, anaesthesiologists, nurses and one dentist all specialised in corrective procedures for a number of conditions. Ailing citizens were afforded the opportunity to complete life-altering procedures, some of which were previously hindered by the high cost for the surgery or lack of resources in Guyana during their team’s visit to Guyana.
The procedures completed were mostly in the field of plastic surgery and included hydrocele, cleft palate, hand deficiencies correction surgeries. One of the cases even involved the construction of an ear for a child who was born without.
Speaking to media operatives after the completion of the surgeries was the Chief Executive Officer of Davis Memorial Hospital, Beverly Chan, who expressed delight over the successful execution of the mission. Chan noted that the medical institution was pleased to align itself with such charitable initiatives and pointed out that the pro bono surgeries were much welcomed by citizens, especially given that such procedures are highly priced and sometimes not readily available to persons seeking attention in Guyana.
The Legacy of Healing is a religious medical outreach programme that offers health care to underserved communities around the world. The mission is also aimed at providing dental care and drinking water for poverty stricken families, all as a non-profitable undertaking. The team has this year returned to Guyana for the second time with a goal of completing 150 surgeries. Even though the set target was not achieved, LOH still managed to record a noteworthy total, completing 126 surgical procedures without any complications.
During their prior visit to Guyana in 2010, 154 local patients benefited from their expertise. Adding to the work accomplished at the hospital, the LOH outreach team had previously volunteered their services at several organisations across the country.
