Medical Mission

I am often reminded just how lucky it is to be born American.  One obvious perk is my passport to the world – I can go where I want when I want, legally at least.  What did I do to earn that?  Sure, most of my Dominican friends would love to move to the United States and stay there to work and send money back to their families – the American Dream.   But many would just like to visit.  They want to live in the world as I do, free to come and go.  What privilege I have, to be American. 

Another perk is health care.  I don’t mean insurance, but just quality of care.  Whether it’s preventative or emergency, you can generally trust that your doctors completed some rigorous schooling in order to be in their position.  And though it is nowhere near equal for all Americans, when you walk into a hospital in the United States, it generally has electricity, clean water, medical supplies, sanitary practices, and well-educated doctors – these are some certainties that we shouldn’t take for granted.

I’ve heard some pretty questionable medical advice from doctors here… In fact, I’m not allowed to go to the hospitals in this country.  There’s one “approved” hospital in Santo Domingo where volunteers are taken in case of emergency, but even then, our Peace Corps doctors get us out of there as quickly as possible.  My neighbor’s 15 year-old wife recently lost a baby in the Azua hospital, and he said to me, “La gente van al hospital para morir.”  People go to the hospital to die.  Here, I believe it.  Last year I visited my host mom’s sister as she lay suffering from hepatitis B in that same hospital.  They don’t have resources or supplies.  Patients have to bring their own sheets and mosquito nets.  Families bring food to their loved ones.  I assume the hospital provides some food, but not enough.  Kind of like prisons… if you’re in prison in this country and no one brings you food, you’re at least half starving.  But despite these things, I’m sure the Dominican Republic is still a lot better off than many other developing countries in terms of access to medical services.

A few weeks ago I participated in my first medical mission, interpreting for American doctors who come to the island for a week to provide free service to Dominican patients.  The Peace Corps has ongoing relationships with a lot of returning missions, sending volunteers to make communication possible between doctors and patients.  This particular mission was a gynecological surgery mission with the leading surgeons from Mount Sinai Hospital in New York… I learned a lot, to say the least.  They came to provide surgeries for common issues that affect women, especially those who are married very young, have many pregnancies, and receive infrequent medical care, if they ever see a doctor at all.  I spent a lot of time chatting with doñas about their sex lives and birthing experiences, some of which were pretty horrifying.  

I also learned a lot about anesthesia, and when my role as translator wasn’t really necessary anymore (mostly once the anesthesia set in), I observed several surgeries and even scrubbed-in to assist!  Turns out that I’m not squeamish, although the surgeries did make me sort of terrified to be a woman for the first time in my life.  The fact that I’ve never been scared to be a woman in this world also reflects how lucky I am to be American… I’m currently reading a book called Half the Sky, about the plight of women worldwide.  I recommend it.  (http://www.halftheskymovement.org/)

Dory and I waiting to translate for consultations

Scrubbed-in and assisting on surgery!