We had a great group including 3 internists, one Pediatrician(YAY!), 3 RNs, and 3 assistants from the US accompanied by a lovely contingent of Romanian translators/drivers/helpers. As in the past, we coordinated with Sprijin Fara Frontiere who provide underserved and remote villagers with clothing, food, home repairs etc. This year on day two, we split our teams, one going south of Tulcea to Sinoe and the other traveling by boat to remote Chila Vechie, across the Danube from Ukraine. The boat trip shaved hours off the trip on the convoluted washboard sometimes muddy route we have used previously. Our last clinic day, the entire contingent travelled by boats to the more distant villages of Letea and Periprava.
There is no clinic or medical care of any kind in these locations. Those that have the means make an all day, costly journey to Tulcea to see a doctor, visit a pharmacy, or go to a lab.
What did we do? We of course offered lots of advice about diet, smoking, and alcohol use. We demonstrated stretching, sleeping position, and body mechanics. We utilized our supply of mostly OTC medications, reading eyeglasses, and other odds and ends. Most importantly , we screened and found new diabetics and hypertensives and discussed other known but poorly controlled conditions. Patients were educated about the importance of compliance with their medications. Worrisome concerns for malignancy, angina, and TIAs were evaluated and for these , despite the economic burden, we recommended patients make the journey to the city for evaluation. We have noticed a certain distrust of the medical system by some. We heard of patients afraid to question there doctor, doctors asking for additional payments on the side and some refusal of care. Having said that we also saw patients with fairly extensive records and receiving cardiac caths and stents, orthopedic and spine surgeries, appropriate medical regimens.
Take a look at the photos and captions for more.
Remember- we are a small self supported group of volunteers. We depend on small donations from YOU for our ground transportation needs, reading glasses. and supplies such as glucose test strips and OTC meds. Thank you for your contribution!