— as Flying Doctors of America wings out of Guyana

THE Flying Doctors of America successfully completed their mission in Guyana treating close to 700 residents in the Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo district.
For a period of four days – Monday, February 26 to Thursday, March 1– the 13- member medical team led by Dr John Arledge, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the Flying Doctors of America, treated 680 residents from Annai, Surama, Iwokrama, and Fairview.
The 13-member team comprised a rheumatologist, emergency room doctors, family physicians, paediatricians, dermatologists, orthodontists, paediatric dentists and an adult dentist.

In an with interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Dr Arledge explained that last Monday, the team flew from Georgetown into the village of Annai, where they treated 440 residents, not only from Annai, but other neighbouring villages, over a period of two days.
“They (the local healthcare system) actually do a very good job with vaccines and the basic health care, but there were a lot of people who had teeth that needed to be extracted…. There was a lot of significant arthritis where we needed more than medications,” the CMO said.

He explained that with a rheumatologist as part of the team, persons living with arthritis received much-needed medication that could see them enjoying pain- free lives for up to six months.

“I saw her one time injecting somebody’s shoulder, there was one in the wrist and a whole bunch of knees, people are having a hard time walking,” he recalled, while adding that “with the pain medication they could potentially walk pain-free for up to six months”.
On Wednesday, the medical team then journeyed to the village of Surama, where an additional 120 people were seen. For the Flying Doctors of America, this was a major achievement, given that the village has a population of 320 persons.

“In Surama, there were some lung infections [and] a lot of women who were concerned about their pregnancies. Our gynaecologist had an ultrasound machine, so she was able to do ultrasound on the pregnant women, reassuring them that their babies were in the right positions and everything looked right,” Dr Arledge reported.
On Thursday, the team visited Fairview – a community which, though not located in Region Nine, falls under its administration because of its geographical location. There, another 120 persons, many of whom were children, were treated.
“There were many children who needed dental work, and we were happy to help,” Dr Arledge said.

Usually, the Flying Doctors of America team would comprise 20 medical personnel, but because of the geographical location of Region Nine, and the transportation logistics, only 13 doctors came to Guyana. The CMO said although they worked with a much smaller team, they were able to meet their objectives.

TARGET MET
“Our goal was to see more than 600, and because of the way the countryside is spread out and it is much easier for us to go to the medium-size villages and then for all of them to come see us, that is one reason we spread it out over four days,” he explained.
Dr Arledge, who became the CMO for the Flying Doctors of America Mission in 2014, said he first got an idea to execute a medical mission in Guyana in 2013, and had been working on it ever since. In 2017, he visited Guyana to put systems in place and secured the support of Iwokrama conservation development Centre as a co-sponsor and the Public Health Ministry.

On Friday evening, a farewell dinner was held at the Marriott Hotel for the Flying Doctors of America and was attended by the Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr Karen Cummings and U.S. Ambassador Perry Holloway.
Minister Cummings expressed gratitude to the medial team on behalf of the people of Guyana.

“We at the Ministry of Public Health continue to work through our various programmes to deliver public health care and services of the highest quality to every person living in Guyana. This quality health care delivery is done with the support of local and international partners,” Dr Cummings said, while taking note of the important role played by missions such as the Flying Doctors of America.

To show her country’s gratitude, the minister within the Ministry of Public Health presented the team with a portrait of St. George’s Cathedral. Dr Arledge, who on behalf of his team thanked the Public Health Ministry, the Iwokrama Conservation Development Centre and the Marriott Hotel for their support, singled out Denroy Tudor, Coordinator, International Desk, for working beyond the call of duty to assist the team. He also presented the minister with a token of appreciation.

The other mission for 2018 includes Panama Mission, St Vincent/ Caribbean Mission, Peru Mission and Jordon Mission (Syria Refugee Camps).
Flying Doctors of America was founded some 28 years ago by Allan Gathercoal with the stated goal of bringing together physicians, dentists, nurses, chiropractors and other health professionals and non-medical support volunteers to offer care for people who otherwise would never receive professional medical care.