Today was the final day at Hoa Quy Clinic. The team worked here Monday for 11 hours. Tuesday for 12 hours, and Wednesday only 9.5 hours!
Tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday are off days. Team members are going to Hue to tour the Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda, and other world heritage sites. But most of the team will stay in Da Nang and enjoy the Furama, or shop for marble and other souvenirs. Two people will play golf at Greg Norman’s Da Nang Golf Club.
Yesterday 161 patients were seen. Several “Special patients” were identified, and one patient from Monday arrived in Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon for eye replacement surgery. VWAM provided transportation, hotel and meal money, hospitalization and the procedure. Chinh’s wife, Minh Ha, is shadowing the family there while he is busy here.
Patient Today with a Serious case of Gout
Sixteen wheelchairs have been given away this week. Some of the recipients told us it was their first wheelchair, which is amazing in itself because they were in their 70’s and 80’s. VWAM is fortunate to have a partner in “Giving It Back To Kids,” the provider of the wheelchairs, a NGO charity based in Da Nang. Chuck (VWAM) and Robert (GIBTK) made a number of people happy this week!
Children are Precious in the Sight of the....
In addition to wheelchairs, two self-propelled carts were sponsored today, along with several walkers, canes, and crutches. Since this is the fourth consecutive day at clinic, many team members are quite tired this afternoon. The Patient Examiners tell me they’ve seen more patients this week then they do in a month at home!
An Invitation from the People's Committee was Needed to go to the VWAM team
The team was visited by two Doctors. One is the district hospital director and the other a local physician. They had “heard about the VWAM medical team” team, and wanted to see for themselves. They were duly impressed with both the quality of care and number of patients seen in just one hour. One doctor said VWAM teams have a reputation for working hard, long hours, and seeing every patient before leaving.
It’s almost time to pack-up the Pharmacy and return everything to storage at Chinh’s home. We’ll keep everything there under lock and key for the weekend. Dr. Bill, Jessica and Marianna are seeing the last few patients right now.
Before we left this afternoon, the Vice-Chairman of the People’s Committee came to thank the team and express their appreciation for all it did for the people of Hoa Quy Commune.
Team with Vice-Chairman & Clinic Staff
Next up is Hoa Hai Clinic, Monday-Wednesday, March 26-29…
Chuck in Hoa Quy
Excellent blog entries, Chuck, we do appreciate them. We are excited about being on mission there this summer. Please let us know how Joette is.
Bob and Hilda