The 20th Free Surgical Camp | Full Report 2017
We are very pleased to announce that the 20th Free Surgical Camp at St. Mary’s Mission Hospital, Khammam India will be held from January 9-21, 2017. This year we are delighted to have a wonderful team of doctors, and volunteers traveling from the US who will work closely with the dedicated year-round staff at the
Andrah Pradesh India
FOCI’s work is in the state of Andhra Pradesh in southeastern India. Andhra Pradesh, India’s fifth-largest state, has 76 million people in an area of 27,000 square kilometers. The people of Andhra Pradesh speak predominantly Telugu and Hindi, with Urdu and English also spoken. Andhra Pradesh has a literacy rate of about 60%, meaning that
The Last word
Hey Statesiders, We’re all safely back and reacclimatizing, slowly. Some more slowly than others, depending on whether you got a good case of the airplane flu or not, which, I did….big time cough, laryngitis, sore throat, phlegm, mild fever and chills, but this too is passing. This is the final note home (blog,as the kids
Holding Back Tears
Everyday is a different and eye-opening experience here…even for me who’s been to and seen a lot of varied cultures over the years. We have continued to work in the operating room in the hospital and also had a few very emotional exchanges. Its Pongal now, a Hindu/national holiday that lasts for 3 days. It
What A Pace
Its Sunday, no work day, down time. I took the team to the Leprosy Village this AM. Those of you who have been here know it well. Its the same only worse. 7 years ago we raised some $$ to put metal doors on the open toilets. Some of them have fallen into rot and
Happy Home
Today we went to Happy Home, a small grass roots home for about 20 children who either have HIV or who’ve lost their parents to HIV. Like the lepers, people with HIV are outcasts, no one wants them around so the children have nowhere to go. We heard their stories from the Indian married couple
We Made It!
The really only important part of flying is for the pilot to land the plane on the proper runway at the proper time. Everything else is secondary, including eating your knees for lunch. We all made it OK with the exception of one of my duffles of supplies. It took 20 minutes to go thru
Khammam Impressions
On the first day of the 2012 Free Surgical Camp, there was an opening ceremony where our India hosts expressed their gratitude to the organizers, donors, and participants, and then it was like the gun went off for an ultra-marathon. Day one action included the screening of many of the poor who have come in
The Last Hurrah
Hey Statesiders, Things are winding down here. There has been a bit of a down turn in the number of patients showing up the past few days, so its been a little easier on us. Theories abound from less of the word going out to the villages since Azariah’s death to a new Gov’t program