Ecuador
2010
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Hospital Vozandes del Oriente
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| Hospital Vozandes del Oriente (Click to enlarge) |
Steve worked at the Hospital Vozandes del Oriente, a small rural hospital operated since 1954 by HCJB, a ministry which has been in Shell since 1931. Originally a radio broadcast ministry outreach to the Amazon jungle Indians, HCJB built a clinic which grew into a hospital in 1954.
The hospital is staffed by American missionary doctors: four Family Practitioners, two General Surgeons, and two Anesthesiologists. They provide a full range of medical services including emergency care, inpatient and outpatient care of adults and children, surgical services, and obstetrics.
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| Steve with nurse Dolores in clinic (Click to enlarge) |
The hospital also serves as a training site for Ecuadorian medical students and Family Practice residents from the HCJB program in Quito. These doctors-in-training serve in two month rotations in this rural setting and receive a great opportunity to care for the diverse problems which present themselves at the Hospital's doors. The level of education already achieved by these young doctors was excellent. Their knowledge of clinical medicine as well as basic science was impressive.
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| Steve with hospital chaplain Manuel (Click to enlarge) |
There is an active outreach to patients and staff with a chaplain on staff to pray with patients and to lead daily devotionals and weekly Bible studies for staff.
I was also impressed by the level of committment to teaching and patient care by the missionary doctors. Daily rounds included review of all patients admitted in the last 24 hours with a discussion of the differential diagnoses to be considered, the work ups, and the treatment plans. Weekly conferences included excellent case presentations by the students and residents.
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| Steve with resident, student and patient (Click to enlarge) |
My first day there we admitted a young lady with preeclampsia (see the photo) and did two cesarean sections and a regular delivery - unusually busy by their reports. After that there were additional teaching opportunities in the clinic with outpatients presenting with a variety of gyn problems.
