Association of Medical Doctors of ASIA, founded in 1984, Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC since 1995

 

For the second time in a row, AMDA International teamed up with its long-time partner Taiwan International Health Action (TaiwanIHA) to conduct Cleft Palate and reconstructive surgery free of charge in the Pare-pare and Barru districts of Eastern Sulawesi. AMDA was able to conduct the three day-long mission due to the extensive local network that AMDA-Indonesia has in the region.


 


A team of nine members from Taiwan and one coordinator from AMDA HQ, Japan arrived in Makassar International Airport and then took a three-hour bus ride to reach the Andi Macassau Hospital in Pare-pare. Team from Taiwan included three plastic and reconstructive surgeons, two anesthesiologist and two operation theater nurses and two coordinators. The team from Taiwan worked with four local oral muscular/facial surgeons (from the Clebus Cleft Centre (CCC)) in Makassar participated and worked with the visiting team from Taiwan to complete the mission successfully.
 
In Pare-pare, the team conducted an initial screening of all the patients and operated on them on the 9^th and 10^th of May. Diagnosis were varied from which required the complicated surgeries of labioplasty, palatoplasty, pharyngeal flap, lip and nose repair plus extraction and labioplasty. Surgeons from both countries worked around the clock from 8am till 8pm to perform the life-impact surgeries. On the 10^th of May the whole team moved to the city of Barru and worked at the Barru Govt. Hospital on the 11^th of May. The team was accepted as guests at the official residence of local Mayor.
 


There were 22 patients in total and 18 of them were at Parepare and 5 at Barru. Mayors from both districts and both the hospital directors were very appreciative and thankful for this meaningful and much needed mission. AMDA was able to meet up with a 19-year-old girl who received an operation in 2015. She was so full of life and found a job, regained full confidence and found a partner who she likes to spend the life with. Local doctors conveyed the messages to AMDA from the last year beneficiaries who could not come to meet the team due to the distance and cost involved.