Dr. Fernando Rivilla, a specialist in Pediatric Surgery and currently head of that Unit at the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital in Madrid, gave two presentations on his experience as an international volunteer with Juan Ciudad ONDG in several countries, leading medical-surgical campaigns in different hospitals of the Hospitaller Order in West Africa.
On April 16th, accompanied by Brother José María Viadero, director of the NGO, Dr. Rivilla spoke in the morning at a presentation at the SJD Hospital in Mondragón, and in the afternoon at a conference at the SJD Hospital in Santurtzi on history and solidarity, where Dr. Jacinto Bátiz presented the book entitled "Social and Health Contributions of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi from 1924 to 2014", the result of his doctoral thesis.
Present at the presentation of Mondragón were Brother Manuel José María Chávarri, head of the hospital in this town, and Eugenio Alonso, delegate of Juan Ciudad NGO in the Basque Country.
The event in Santurtzi was attended by the Mayor of Santurtzi, Aintzane Urkijo, and the Councilor for Social Action and Equality, Marta Álvarez, who were accompanied by brothers José Luis Martín and Mariano Bernabé, the new superior of the Community of Brothers of the Santurtzi Hospital, and Mercedes Peña, Director of Nursing at the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi.
The program began with Dr. Jacinto Bátiz, who presented the book entitled "Social and Healthcare Contributions of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi from 1924 to 2014," the result of his doctoral thesis. The work chronicles the history of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi during its first ninety years of existence. The director of the Institute for Awareness, Training, Research, and Innovation for Better Care at the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi explained the pillars of the center's development over the years, basing them on the "altruism of the Aguirre Charity Foundation, the hospitality of the brothers of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God, and the generosity of the doctors and healthcare professionals from Bizkaia who have worked at this center."
Dr. Bátiz reviewed the four stages of this hospital's history. In the first, "this home and clinic provided significant social and healthcare assistance to Biscayan children with highly disabling illnesses." In the second stage, during the Civil War, the health center "became a primary care hospital, treating the wounded from both sides." The third stage began in the postwar period: during this period, "the Hospital adapted its facilities to new medical advances, optimizing resources and funding sources," transitioning from the postwar period to the era of industrial development and technocracy. The fourth stage began in 1993 with the first steps taken by what was then known as the Hospital's Palliative Medicine Unit. "Since then, this center has become a benchmark in healthcare, psychosocial and spiritual care, as well as in its ethical doctrine regarding the end of life," the expert concluded. Dr. Bátiz was introduced by Dr. Iñaki Urkidi, Medical Director of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi.
Medical-surgical and teaching cooperation in centers of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God in Africa
Next, Dr. Fernando Rivilla, head of the Pediatric Surgery Unit at the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital in Madrid, presented his extensive experience in medical-surgical and teaching cooperation at centers of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God in Africa, specifically at Saint Joseph's Catholic Hospital and the New Kru Town Health Center, both in Monrovia (Liberia), and at Tanguiéta Hospital in Benin. The speaker was introduced by Brother José María Viadero, director of Juan Ciudad ONGD, an organization with which Dr. Rivilla and his colleagues carry out their international volunteer work.
Dr. Rivilla explained that each international health cooperation project he undertakes is designed with a dual focus: healthcare and health. "On the one hand, the healthcare objectives include the examination of pediatric patients in the outpatient clinic, medical history, examination, and preoperative study. This is followed by the surgical procedure, followed by postoperative treatment and care until discharge." Many of the materials used in these projects are sent in advance by Juan Ciudad NGO, including surgical supplies, anesthetics, medications, monitoring and diagnostic imaging devices, and more.
The pediatric surgeon emphasized the importance of always working in concert and coordination with local counterparts, not only during the implementation of cooperation projects, but also during the design and preparation phases.
He also emphasized the importance of anesthesia professionals in achieving maximum effectiveness and efficiency "in shifts, day after day, of ten or more surgical interventions." He also praised and thanked the nurses for their work during the care and surgical process, as well as the Brothers of San Juan de Dios, who not only oversee advance publicity for these healthcare campaigns among the local population, but also handle patient selection, postoperative care, treatment until discharge, logistics, and the necessary coverage so that the volunteers can live and work safely, caring for children and families during the process, and much more.
Healthcare cooperation efforts are not limited to healthcare but also to teaching. Dr. Rivilla emphasized the importance of African healthcare professionals and their increasingly advanced training, within the capabilities of each region. During their stays, they receive "intensive courses in pediatric emergencies, neonatal resuscitation in the delivery room (for doctors and midwives), surgical techniques in pediatric surgery with the local center's nurses, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation."
Among the most common types of surgical interventions performed through these Juan Ciudad NGO projects, the expert cited "genitourinary congenital malformations, trauma and burn injuries, solid organ tumor surgery, neonatal surgery, osteomyelitis, intestinal obstructions, peritonitis and abscesses, and congenital malformations of the digestive system."
Dr. Rivilla also had words of remembrance for the Brothers of St. John of God, nuns, and collaborators of the Hospitaller Order's hospitals who died or were affected by the Ebola virus, the vast majority of whom were colleagues of Dr. Rivilla during his stays in Africa. He stated, "The crisis tore us apart, marking a before and after in healthcare in Africa." In this regard, Brother José María Viadero, director of Juan Ciudad NGO, informed those present that Dr. Rivilla's team was the first to return to Monrovia after the Ebola health crisis.
The pediatric surgeon highlighted the magnitude of the shift in healthcare activity at Saint Joseph's Catholic Hospital, which before the Ebola crisis in 2009 provided 4,297 annual hospitalizations (of which 1,725 were pediatric) and 59,507 outpatient consultations. Today, in 2018, it has still not been able to reach pre-crisis levels, which have been etched in the collective imagination of the local population.
Rivilla highlighted the enormous value of the work of the staff at Saint Joseph's Catholic Hospital and the New Kru Town Health Center, which, with a highly qualified staff, provides immense care.
Following the second presentation, a question and answer session opened for discussion between the speakers and attendees. During the session, Dr. Rivilla emphasized the importance of considering the idiosyncrasies and cultures of the communities where international health cooperation projects are carried out, in order to achieve better outcomes in terms of health and quality of life.
You can see the photos of the presentations in Facebook.
Source of information: Eugenio Alonso for Mondragón and Docor Comunicación for Santurzi.
