Missions
Since 1997, Surgeons For Smiles has conducted successful surgical missions in the Philippines, Caribbean, Nigeria, Eritrea and Bangladesh.
Surgeons for Smiles suggests the following parameters in order to provide the most expert and comprehensive medical care to patients in need:
Facility Requirements
To ensure a successful mission, Surgeons for Smiles requests the availability of:
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Hospital-based facilities with operating rooms, anesthesia machines, recovery rooms and inpatient care rooms. Team sizes will depend on the available number and size of operating rooms available and anesthesia machines.
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General Surgical Equipment. Any specialized equipment will be provided by the Surgeons for Smiles Team.
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Free lodging for team members in close proximity to host hospital or if not close, then reliable transportation to transport team members to and from the medical location. If the host is unable to donate lodging costs for the Surgeons for Smiles team, then arrangement of a reasonable lodging facility at a local reasonable fee.
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Adequate food for team members provided by our host or available food for a reasonable local cost. Bottled water is also needed at the host location.
Upcoming Missions
Asmara, Eritrea
April 2024
Future Locations in Planning Phases
Ghana
Tibet
Pakistan
Supplies and Medications
Surgeons for Smiles will provide all supplies and medications except for intravenous fluids, which are too heavy to carry. If the expense of intravenous fluids is an obstacle for the host site, Surgeons for Smiles is willing to cover this expense. In addition, if the host location is experiencing a shortage of intravenous fluids or difficulty obtaining fluids, Surgeons for Smiles will ship these fluids in advance of a proposed mission date. In this scenario, the host will be asked to store any shipped supplies in a safe location.
Host's Responsibilities
Surgeons for Smiles kindly requests the following responsibilities to be provided by the host:
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A local contact person, preferably with medical training to aid in planning and facilitation of the needs of the mission team
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Recruitment, triage and pre-screening of patients within three (3) months of proposed mission dates, so that appropriate team members can be recruited and needed supplies collected.
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Hospital facilities available for the mission to care for any many patients as possible.
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Local medical support to assist in patient follow-up.