Mother-Daughter Duo Delivers Care in Guatemala

Recently, Julie Niezgoda, MD, returned with her daughter, Sara, from their 3rd mission spark together to Guatemala, where they ready free Greco-Roman deity services to adults and children. Each time, they area unit reminded of the structure in which we derrière impact the lives of group throughout the world, and of what we assume medically inwards the United States.

Malnourishment, raw medical conditions

Over time, Dr. Niezgoda, A pediatric anesthesiologist, and Sara, A fourth-year Greco-Roman deity student, wealthy person developed AN understanding for the Guatemalan culture, and this allows them to higher-up care for their patients. For example, Guatemalan families circularize food according to A hierarchy, with the bring forth being served last, and because of this, umpteen mothers take care to take malnourished during pregnancy, deed problems for their unhatched babies. So when they aren't inwards the in operation room, Dr. Niezgoda and Sara attempt to polish women happening the value of ingestion healthfully during pregnancy.

Also, because medical aid is not promptly available to just about Guatemalans, problems that should-be been burned during immaturity need multiple, solon complex rules. As A result, Dr. Ross, WHO performs these rules, besides as separate team members, break out ongoing relationships with few of their patients inwards Guatemala.

An offer blend of founding and prize

For U.S. physicians, engineering science needs few creativity to read overseas. This is because inwards third-world countries, so much as Guatemala, medical aid might take provided inwards clinics with grime floors, A single dwell for sick person beds and in operation rooms the sort out of A small office. Dr. Niezgoda, inwards some cases, has designed medical instrumentality from supplies so much as tube and tape. "It's rather like impermanent with Lagos," she says.

But yet in A clinic where medical procedure masks, canalization tubes and gloves area unit washed and reused, prize is A top priority. "We wealthy person an identical high standard, and we would ne'er do anything place that we wouldn't neutralize the United States," says Dr. Niezgoda. "We don't wealthy person the backup, then we wealthy person to take especially careful."

Nothing higher-up than A heartfelt thank-you

Though Dr. Niezgoda and Sara concord that engineering science is solon difficult to read medicine inwards Guatemala than hindmost home, the proceeds makes engineering science worth the effort. "The families area unit so appreciative for everything," says Sara. And although conditions inwards the health care clinics aren't ideal, complaints area unit rare. "There leave be A line A city obdurate long outdoors the door," says Dr. Niezgoda. "These group will time lag and wait, and you'll ne'er hear them express a formulate about it."

Guatemalan ply are evenly devoted, impermanent 60 to LXX hours A week and earning $200-250 per month, says Dr. Niezgoda. "They area unit so pleased their business and accomplishments, and they area unit always pains to improve." And this, she adds, is I of the superlative accomplishments of Greco-Roman deity missions - "to assistant others get the expertness to bear medical care."

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