Peru, Medical Rescue Mission, July 2002

On Saturday, July 27, 2002 His Glory Foundation in response to a request from the Peruvian government sent a medical rescue to the southern mountain regions of Peru to treat an outbreak of respiratory infections, caused when El Nino weather phenomena created sub-zero temperatures.

The medical team traveled from Houston, Texas airport to Lima Peru courtesy of Continental Airlines. The team stayed in a hotel courtesy of Lima Civil Defense and flew to Arequipa next morning July 28th to via a commercial Peruvian airlines arriving at Arequipa airport that early afternoon. Then team then started its road trip first to Aplao to meet with the regional health director to get an update on the conditions at higher elevations. The health director informed the team that the conditions at the upper elevations were unclear, because he was unable to reach the villages. He also reported that he had received reports from people who had walked down for assistance and reported that there was many sick in the higher elevations. Once briefed by the health director the team continued on to Chiebama.

The team arrived in Chiebama at 3:00 a.m. Monday, July 29th we unpacked the trucks and the team rested in preparation to see patients. At 6:00 am an announcement was made that the team was at Chiebama hospital ready to see anyone suffering from respiratory infections. About twenty minutes following the announcement patients began flooding into the hospital to be seen. On that first day in Chiebama the team treated approximately 50-60 villagers who were suffering from respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to serious cases of pneumonia. The team also had patients that complained of other medical problems, those patients were referred to the Cheibama hospital medical staff for further evaluation and treatment. . Later that afternoon the team went to the orphanage run by Padre Daniel Garcia to treat the orphans who were also suffering from various respiratory infections. The team treated finished treating the orphans and they thanked the team by singing us to a thank you song in Spanish. When the team returned to Chiebama hospital from the orphanage we were met by a family who had walked four hours to be seen by the team. One of the family members a twenty-five year old man was extremely short of breath. The man was examined by the team physician and found to have severe pneumonia. The team made arrangements for the man to be admitted into the small hospital in Chiebama and treated with intravenous medications supplied by the team. That evening Padre Daniel Garcia treated the team to a traditional Peruvian dinner as his way of thanking the team for treating the orphans.

On day to Tuesday July 30th the team saw additional patients from Chiebama along with people who had like the first family walked four hours to be treated by team. One of the girls was also found to have serious difficulty breathing caused by pneumonia she was treated by the Chiebama medical staff.

That afternoon, we traveled to Carmen Blanco were we had received reports that the villagers were also suffering from respiratory infections. Once in Carmen Blanco the team treated 40 – 50 people. One of which was a twelve year old boy who when examined was found to be in respiratory distress caused by pneumonia. The team started an intravenous on the boy and administered medications and fluids. The boy was monitored for the entire time the team was seeing patients in Carmen Blanco which lasted about five hours. Another boy who’s mother asked to see him because she thought that he was ill was seen and the team physician decided that the boy was not physically ill but had autism. The team physician explain to the mother through an interpreter about autism and told her that we would notify the health director of the child’s special needs, so that he could check up on them. When the team had completed seeing patients the intravenous was discontinued on the boy with pneumonia and further oral medication was given, the team returned to Cheibama late that evening to prepared for the return trip to Arequipa the next morning to fly back to Lima to await a flight back to the states.

Before the team left Chiebama the team gave Padre Daniel some blankets that were donated for the orphans. We also had two winter coats that we gave out to two children we was outside that night with coats. The team spent the rest of the evening inventorying the remaining equipment, having a team meeting to review what we had done during the mission and what we would have liked to be able to had we had helicopter transportation to the upper elevations. We checked on some of the patients we had admitted to the Chiebama hospital. The team also gave some of our military ready to eat meals to the hospital staff and the health director’s driver who stuck with us through the mission. The team physician examined the driver and treated for a cough he had developed during the mission.

On day four July 31st the team left Chiebama at 6:00 a.m. on the long trip back to Arequipa airport. The Arequipa Civil defense provided the team with a two hotel rooms for the night while we waited for a flight the next morning to Lima.

On day five August 1st the team boarded a Peruvian flight to Lima and arrived at Lima airport early that afternoon. The Lima Civil Defense met the team at the airport and took us to get something to eat while we waited to be able to board a Continental Airlines flight back to Houston Texas. That afternoon the team was contacted by the Peruvian government and invited to the Presidential palace to brief the first lady of Peru’s executive secretary on how you mission went. The team went to the Presidential palace were we met the first lady’s executive secretary Zuni Ramoas were we briefed her on how the mission went. We informed Ms. Ramoas that there were some areas in the higher elevations that the team was unable to reach and that we had two seventy pound boxes of medications and two pediatric intravenous pumps that were meant for children’s hospital that had many seriously ill children that need the medications and pumps. Ms. Ramoas agreed to take the medications and pumps personally to the hospital. Ms. Ramoas also contacted Continental Airlines and made sure that the entire team would be able to get on the flight at 11:15 p.m. that night. The team was also given a guided tour of the presidential palace by the head of tourism as thanks for helping the Peruvian people. At 11:15 p.m. on August 1st the entire team boarded a Continental Airlines flight back to Houston Texas. The team arrived back in Houston Texas at 6:00
a.m. August 2nd. All team members returned to their home states very spiritually high.

Special Thanks to all who donated medicines and other medical supplies. Congratulations to Continental Airlines for having the courage to donate the round trip tickets that got our Medical Rescue team to Peru.

In an additional note Zuni Ramoas was able to deliver the medications on Intravenous pumps to a hospital in Cuzco where they were so badly needed.

Pictures below are from the Peru Medical Rescue mission. Click on the thumbnail view for a larger image.