A group of plastic surgeons from the Spanish Society of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery (SECPRE) arrived in Monrovia, Liberia, last weekend, to perform selfless surgery on underprivileged patients. This is an annual humanitarian project organized and funded by SECPRE in coordination with Juan Ciudad NGO, a member of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God.
The team, led by Dr. Margarita Novoa RodrĂguez, from Povisa Hospital in Vigo, includes two other members of the medical-scientific society: Dr. MarĂa Eugenia LĂłpez Suso, from the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department of the A Coruña University Hospital Complex, and Dr. Manel RomanĂ OlivĂ©, from the St. BernabĂ© Regional Hospital in Berga (Barcelona). They will be accompanied by anesthesiologist Manuel Diaz Allegue, from the Anesthesiology and Resuscitation Department of the A Coruña University Hospital Complex.
It is estimated that during the 15 days of their stay at St. Joseph's Catholic Hospital in Monrovia, this team will attempt to perform more than 70 procedures, primarily for the treatment of burn injuries and congenital tumors and malformations, "although there is always an element of surprise, and we may encounter unexpected pathologies," says Dr. Novoa.
"We will try to treat the most difficult cases early," this specialist continues, "to allow more time for postoperative follow-up, and the simpler, more manageable cases in the final days. Before returning to Spain, we will coordinate with local surgeons to monitor the patients who continue their postoperative care after our departure."
St. Joseph's Catholic Hospital was founded in 1967 and is a private, non-profit hospital serving all patients without discrimination. The hospital employs 174 people, 11 of whom are physicians, and has a capacity of 121 beds. It offers five specialties: gynecology and obstetrics, pediatrics, internal medicine, general surgery, and orthopedics and trauma.
In 2017, the hospital treated 1,100 emergency cases, 3,600 inpatients, and 2,600 outpatients.
The hospital's operating room is equipped with two operating rooms and another in the maternity ward, with one of the operating rooms being used for minor surgeries.
About SECPRE
The Spanish Society of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery (SECPRE) is a non-profit association whose purpose is to contribute, through all available means, to the scientific advancement and practical knowledge of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery, as well as to its scientific dissemination. Its official scientific publication, in conjunction with the Ibero-Latin American Federation of Plastic Surgery, is the journal CirugĂa PlĂĄstica Ibero-Latinoamericana. For more information about the Society, visit www.secpre.org.
