For six consecutive days, from November 5-10, health-care professionals from AdventHealth in Colorado, United States, and the Ana Stahl Adventist Clinic in Peru, offered surgery services to people in underserved communities on the banks of the Amazon River in the Peruvian rainforest.
The free general surgeries campaign reached isolated communities such as Santa María de Fátima, Santa Victoria, San Luis, Sinchicuy, and San Rafael. They are located in the province of Maynas, Loreto region, in Peru’s northeast.
Thanks to the campaign, 29 low-income people who needed laparoscopic hernia and gallbladder care were able to undergo surgery. In addition, 655 people received primary health care, both in cities and in riverside communities, organizers and practitioners said. The medical campaign was financed by AdventHealth in Colorado, which is part of the AdventHealth network in the United States, and the Ana Stahl Adventist Clinic in Peru. Every surgery and service provided was completely free for patients, organizers said.
Organizers also shared that the initiative to serve those who most needed surgical interventions in that area required careful logistical considerations. To meet the needs, health specialists formed two groups. “One group stayed at the clinic to perform the surgeries, and the second group went to the communities to provide care to the residents in the specialties of dentistry, general medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, laboratory, and pharmacy,” organizers said.
Focused on helping in areas that are hard to reach and where quality medical presence is lacking, the initiative enlisted the support of AdventHealth Castle Rock, part of the AdventHealth network. The Adventist institution, located in Castle Rock, Colorado, is a health-care facility that is “passionate about delivering the highest quality, Christ-centered care,” with a focus on caring for “body, mind, and spirit.” Among other services, the hospital provides breast care, heart and vascular care, mother and baby care, and sports medicine and rehabilitation.
Under the motto “To Save Is in Our Nature,” the Ana Stahl Adventist Clinic has been a leading health-care provider in the northeastern city of Iquitos in Peru since 1926. The institution “follows the healing ministry of Jesus Christ, focusing on the physical, mental, spiritual, and social health of their patients,” and “serving those who are underserved” across the region and beyond. The clinic offers not only personalized treatments but also state-of-the-art imaging diagnosis and extensive lab tests.
Both health-care institutions are part of the network of Adventist health institutions around the world, which provide physical care and a message of hope for those who need it most, leaders said. “We are glad these two institutions partnered to serving others and bringing love through the healing ministry of our Lord Jesus in the Peruvian rainforest,” they said.
The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Spanish-language news site.
