Landys In Ecuador: Eye Surgery team update

It has been a busy month for Kate. Starting two weeks ago, the mission clinic hosted an eye surgery team from Germany. This week will be the third and final week for the eye surgery team. They are doing 11-15 surgeries per day (Monday-Friday). Patients travelled from all parts of Ecuador to access affordable eye surgery ( cataract surgery is $40). There were also patients who travelled from Peru. Kate has been busy since the start of January providing pre-op exams for many of the patients. Patients travel with their families for many hours, typically by bus, to access eye care. Families arrived on Saturday and Sunday to reserve a place in line to secure access for an eye surgeon consultation. On Monday morning when the clinic opened at 8 AM I (John) offered to help manage the crowd of about 250 patients and family members. The line started sometime either Saturday or Sunday. Somehow each person managed to keep a place in line over the span of 2 days (including nights). The line started outside the clinic doors where there is a covered cement porch. I don't know how everyone managed to sleep but there were lots of people with blankets. I am sure it didn't help that it rained over the weekend. On Sunday night, Amanda, the clinic RN, took the names of the first hundred patients. On Monday morning I let the first 100 patients inside the clinic to register by groups of 10. Mid-morning I distributed numbered tickets to the next 100 patients. I then informed at least 50 people that they could not be seen that day. For those patients not able to register on the first day, they had the option to wait another day/night in line for the chance to register the following day. Needless to say, Monday and Tuesday mornings were filled with a lot of commotion, pleading and jostling to maintain a position in line. The vast majority of people were patient and understanding under difficult circumstances. After the first two days, the crowds thinned and everyone seemed to follow the established process of cueing and patient registration. Kate and another visiting MD, (Dr. Phil, a pediatrician from LA/Georgia) saw all of the pre-op and general medicine exams for all of the eye care patients (and many of their family members, because those accompanying eye care patients took the opportunity to see the MD during the few days they were at the clinic. This large influx of patients and family members changed the tranquil ambience of the mission and it seemed there were cars, trucks and taxis everywhere. Enterprising locals erected a makeshift kitchen at the edge of the mission grounds next to the footbridge and sold breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was interesting to see visitors' reactions to Guadalupe and I met quite a few people who refuse to walk across the foot bridge and took a detour over the car bridge. The eye surgery team from Germany, Kate, Dr. Phil and the clinic staff provide an amazing service to hundreds of patients, many who experienced a vast improvement to their vision, a service that evidently they would not be able to afford without the services of the team at Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Clinic. After witnessing so many frail and impoverished people endure difficult circumstances to access medical care, I am very proud of Kate.