January 2018 – India Medical/Surgical Missions
We coordinated 29 volunteers for a total of 6 medical/surgical missions in January 2018. We served over 3600 needy people completely free in 14 days. Volunteers arrived from 29th December, 2017 and the last ones left on 14th January, 2018.
Team members included Drs. Nitin Shah, Sharad Saraiya, Raksha Saraiya, Usha Gupta, Nitin Ambani, Ashley Broussard, Ariana Nelson, Melinda Eshelman, Christine Saseum, Chhaya Mehta, Ranvir Suneja, Bhushan Pandya, Jacob Bradshaw, Kevin Hyer, Garrett Sauter, Johnathan Cyr, Nicholas Brunger, Suvas Desai, Nirmala Desai, Nepthali Gomez. Non-medical volunteers include Kinna Gandhi, Nishith Chokshi, Rashmi Pandya, Alexa Patel, Logan Woodhouse, Gabriel Gomez, Priti Shah, Divya Shah, Binish Shah and Bina Ambani.
Rajpipla (January 2 & 3)
Majority of the patients were seen only on 2nd (1405) while we spent 2 hours on 3rd and saw an additional 350 people. Gave away 430 eyeglasses and for the first time thanks to Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Sharad Saraiya who gave 95 patients injections in the joints for Arthritis. Another first and this one thanks to Dr. Ranvir Suneja, Cardiologist who show many cardiology patients and we had arranged an ECHO machine and EKG (did 75) that helped patients quite a bit for the diagnosis and proper management suggestions by him.
Mahuva (January 4)
Saw 397 patients and gave 300 pairs of eyeglasses. Drs. Saraiya and Ambani helped 36 patients with injections in the joints. Patients truly appreciated the services of Injections that we offered this year.
Surat (January 3 to 9)
Dr. Jacob Bradshaw and Dr. Kevin Hyer (Loma Linda University), Alexa Patel (a student), Dr. Suvas Desai (Urologist), Dr. Usha Gupta (Anesthesiologist), Dr. Sharad Saraiya (Orthopedic Surgeon), Logan Woodhouse, Dr. Nepthali Gomez (General Surgeon) and Gabriel Gomez spent time at Surat METAS Hospital at different times between 3rd and 9th January. In all we saw 42 patients and operated on 30 of them.
Surat – Visit to Bal-ashram (January 6)
Priti Shah, Kinna Gandhi, Dr. Raksha Saraiya, Bina Ambani, Divya Shah and Nishith Chokshi visited 70 children in Bal-Ashram at Surat. Children were fed lunch, distributed chocolates and were given a backpack. They appreciated the visit tremendously and the team had a great time.
Kalidas Hospital, Vyara (January 5 to 7)
For our 12th annual surgical camp we performed 149 surgeries on 129 patients in 2 ½ days. The operations included hernias, hydroceles, lumps, cysts and hysterectomies. Drs. Gomez (General Surgeon) and Drs. Desai and Ambani (Urologists) operated and also Dr. Saraiya participated in surgery on one day. Dr. Usha Gupta provided Anesthesia care. Many local Surgeons, Gynecologists and Anesthetists also volunteer their time to help underprivileged at various times in these three days. Annual Three days Vyara Surgical camps have been working like a well-oiled machine for 12 years now.
Valiya (January 7)
We conducted a medical mission this time on Sunday as requested by Chairman Sandeepbhai and we saw the results. The flow of patients never stopped and we ended up seeing 1064 patients, we did have to send a few back due to lack of time. We gave 416 pairs of eyeglasses and Drs. Saraiya and Ambani injected 105 patients’ joints.
University of California, Irvine Team (January 2 to 14)
First team from Anesthesia department of UCI with Faculty Dr. Broussard and residents Drs. Eshelman and Saseum spent January 3 to 6 while faculty Dr. Nelson lead residents Drs. Cyr, Brunger and Sauter spent 9 to 13 at Bidada Hospital. Medical Student Logan Woodhouse spent January 8 to 13 and did research on Masimo’s Hgb Technology.
Bidada Hospital (January 3 to 14)
In all 16 people volunteered from the group at Bidada in 2018. They were involved in seeing 241 patients and performing 147 surgeries.
Bhuj – AHA SCL under 5 Years of Age (January 11 & 12)
Drs. Nirmala Desai and Nitin Shah spent two days educating 24 nurses and doctors about American Heart Association’s program Saving Children’s Lives under 5 years of age. Dr. Mahadev Patel, Dr. Jose Ferrer and Shukanto arranged this.
Contributors towards these missions include: Anekant Community Center, Diwaliben Ukabhai Patel Sarvajanik Trust, Joys of Sharing Foundation, Tarsadia Foundation, Ashok and Madhu Patel, Nishith Chokshi, Drs. Bharat and Ninna Patel Foundation, Jayantibhai Patel, Nayana Patel, Mr. Naran G Patel & an anonymous donor. Lions In Sight coordinated by Khush Bodhan supported us with the eyeglasses. Masimo Company provided A Pulse Oximeter and a ETCO2 monitor EMMA which were donated to METAS Adventist Hospital, while Masimo also provided two Pulse Co-Oximeters that were used to measure total hemoglobin noninvasively in 3 medical missions. Machines and one ETCO2 EMMA were donated in the end to Bidada Hospital.
Binish Shah and his extended family, Viral Shah, Dhiren Shah and Jitu Mehta, Priti Shah, Sunish, Dipa and Meet Shah helped us in India.
A very productive 14 days in which we helped 3,642 people with 1,146 eyeglasses, 236 joint injections, 75 ECHO and 326 surgeries! – Dr. Nitin Shah, 562 244 9035.