New York, N.Y. – New York, N.Y. - The international surgical outreach organization Doctors On Call, also known as D.O.C., Organization Inc., recently dispatched a specialized six-person outreach team to Jamaica, with over forty-thousand dollars in medical equipment, supplies, and medicines for their first mission to Jamaica at Annotto Bay Hospital located in the parish of St. Mary.

"This first mission was very important to D.O.C., particularly because of our Caribbean connection, and moving forward on its success is all the more encouraging for our medical team who worked tirelessly for six days, four of which they spent at least twelve hours a day in the operating theater", says Sophia Johnson President and Chair of D.O.C. "We worked with a local medical team in the North East Region who lined up 29 cases that were challenging for both the Annotto Bay and D.O.C surgical team."

The D.O.C. team primarily provided general and reconstructive surgical care. As well, the team focused on the training of personnel, with an initiative that invites local doctors to sit in on procedures and learn new techniques. Specialists also concentrated on cases of threatened limb loss to peripheral vascular disease, congenital malformations, intra-abdominal procedures; cysts and tumor removals; goiter's; diabetic foot ulcers and, reconstruction for breast cancer survivors.

"Doctors On Call is truly a leader in providing a bench to bedside approach to surgical outreach," says Dr. Basil Bryan, Jamaican Consul General in New York. "As an organization dedicated to the total management of increasing access to surgery in the Caribbean, we are very supportive of their efforts to assist in this critical area of medicine."

The outreach goods brought to Jamaica included: antibiotics, surgical supplies such as gloves, disposable gowns, and medical kits containing medication, and surgical equipment. D.O.C. pioneered and engineered such medical kits to further its ability to respond quickly and efficiently upon arrival.

Glendon Henry, M.D., a Jamaican born Medical Director of Harlem Hospital Center in New York, says he was encouraged to donate the much-needed medical supplies. "We are very hopeful that setting up this link with the Caribbean will allow us to promote long term use of appropriate therapies, which can then be used for future involvement in clinical studies of non-communicable diseases, treatment for the earliest onset of these diseases, and we may actually be able to shed valuable light on the causes of these diseases in people of that region."

While in Jamaica, D.O.C.'s General and Vascular surgeon Brian A. Donaldson, M.D., delivered the first in a series of medical lectures by Doctors On Call at the University of the West Indies (UWI). Dr. Donaldson discussed "Lower Extremity Occlusive Vascular Disease - Current Concepts." The UWI graduate says since graduating in 1984, "Vascular surgery on the lower extremity has undergone tremendous changes, and the introduction of new technology, new concepts and alternative approaches have revolutionized treatment in the field. I wanted to share this with my colleagues in Jamaica." The discussion focused on current managerial concepts including disease etiology prevention, evaluation, pre-qualitative assessments, medical, surgical and endovascular therapies for these diseases in the Caribbean.

In November 2000, D.O.C. sent an exploratory team to six hospitals in Jamaica. At present, the exploratory team is continuing a needs assessment and is preparing for a second mission to Jamaica at Cornwall Regional Hospital located in Montego Bay, in October of this year.

"In the coming weeks a thorough report on the mission will be available for review by the public on our website (www.doc-online.org)", says Ms. Johnson. "As we move forward with outreach plans for other islands in the Caribbean in 2002, we welcome your ideas on increasing access to essential surgery in the region."

For more information about D.O.C. log on to the website www.doc-online.org.


Contact:

Sophia Johnson

Email: info@doc-online.org

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