Pediatric Surgery Delegation
The Pediatric Surgery Delegation has been a dedicated group of professionals serving Vietnamese children and families since 2004. The PSD is now continuing this important work as a vital program of MEET for the past several years, and as a part of our overall mission. Teams from the US and the UK have provided free surgeries to hundreds of children who would otherwise be unable to afford them.
Many of these surgeries are life saving, all are life transforming. Families sometimes travel two to three days to be seen and assessed as candidates for surgery. One of the most difficult decisions for our practitioners will be to say yes/no. We sadly cannot serve all who arrive at the hospital for care.
Our PSD includes Surgeons, Anesthesiologists, Recovery and Surgical Nurses, Translators from the US and Medical Students at the CanTho University Medicine and Pharmacy (CTUMP), a rehabilitation physician, and support staff to assist with assessment, organization, and technology support.
MEET has focused on hand surgeries, cleft palates and urological procedures. Many of the surgeries are very sophisticated, and since teaching is a component of the MEET mission, surgeries are often necessarily limited in numbers served to allow the extra time to develop expertise among our counterparts. Our goal overall is to mentor tomorrows expert teams in Vietnam. Recovery and surgical nursing, as well as the latest knowledge in Anesthesiology and Rehabilitation are an important addition to the overall success of our work and teaching.
Lance Tooke, MD, from the UK has led the PSD since the beginning, and was joined by Neena Seth, MD in 2009, as co-leader. In 2012 the PSD preformed their first surgeries in CanTho with MEET’s primary Vietnamese leader, Phuong Ahn Ly, as the organizer of these efforts. Ahn has continued to be essential to MEET’s success by her expert coordination of the PSD and the many connections we have all made in our educational exchanges.
Our MEET PSD teams have continued to grow, and in 2015 brought over 40 volunteers, allowing for more surgeries and teaching. United Arab Emirates provided graciously for the UK volunteers, and we owe them much gratitude for their generosity. 2016 will bring many of the same team and a few amazing new recruits and return staff!
