Medical Missionaries Seek Volunteers, Funding
By Stephanie Tracy
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 7/18/02)
Dr. Paul Byrne, a dentist and a member of the board of directors for the non-profit group, headed a medical team during the most recent trip to Banica last month.
"We still have a lot of bureaucratic red tape to get through," he said of the plans for the medical clinic in Haiti. "We’ve drawn the plans and engaged an architect, but we still have a lot to do."
Besides Banica, which is a 15-mile truck ride from Thomassique, the closest center for medical care in that region of Haiti is two hours away. Currently, the town has a one-bedroom clinic to serve 120,000 people.
In addition to attending to concerns surrounding the proposed clinic, the four-person team made preparations for the shipment of new supplies, inspected recently arrived shipments and continued their work in preventative treatment and education.
Medical Missionaries has expanded its network in the last five years, working to fulfill its mission "to improve public health, medical and dental care for the poor of the world." The group works with other medical teams associated with the Parish Twinning Program of the Americas (PTPA), as well as groups engaged in similar missions.
Through their network, Medical Missionaries provides other medical teams with access to supplies and equipment needed in their individual ministries. Through their association with other teams, Medical Missionaries and their associates are able to reach approximately one-third of the population of Haiti.
"We do a lot to provide supplies and resources for other teams who are helping the poor elsewhere in places such as Sierra Leone, China and Vietnam," said Dr. Gil Irwin, president of Medical Missionaries. "We just recently sent 65 hospital beds to Uzbekistan, and we’ve sent supply containers to Afghanistan."
Medical Missionaries is also examining the possibilities of expanding their work into regions of Africa.
The scope of Medical Missionaries’ work has expanded significantly since its beginnings, but much more is still needed. In the last five years, approximately $65 million worth of goods, services and medicines have been shipped to Banica and Thommasique. Of those supplies, 99.9 percent was acquired from donations.
Of immediate importance is the need for more warehouse space and improved equipment for loading supply containers.
"We still have very crude facilities in terms of loading sea containers," Irwin said. "Everything we do right now is backbreaking."
The group has been known to load a 40-foot container in two hours with the help of the few volunteers. Forklifts, as well as more people to help package and load supplies, are needed.
In addition to needing volunteers to aid in packing and shipping supplies and additional networks of hospitals and other outlets for supply acquisitions, Medical Missionaries is always looking for professional volunteers.
"We’re always looking for healthcare professionals interested in spending some time down there," Irwin said. "But it’s not a one-shot deal; we’re a volunteer organization that requires a level of commitment."
The work of the Medical Missionaries began in 1997. Since then, the volunteer organization has begun to build the infrastructure for consistent medical care for the people of the Arlington Diocese Mission in Banica and the constant stream of Haitian refugees who flock across the border seeking help. Funding for their work is based entirely on charitable donations.
Bob Wilson emphasized the importance of continuity to the group’s work.
"We really want to make sure of the continuity because it’s with continuity that you have medical success," he said.
After their initial visit to the Dominican Republic, which saw the vaccination of 2,500 children in the mountain villages surrounding Banica, the group expanded into Haiti in 1998 to help victims of Hurricane George. A dental clinic was set up in Banica in 1999, and the administration of hepatitis-B vaccines to over 15,000 children was also completed. Solar-powered generators and emergency radio systems were established in 2000.
Three trips to Banica and Thomassique in 2001 allowed for improvements in power facilities and radio systems, immunizations for 30,000 people and continuation of hygiene and preventative programs, including distribution of vitamins, fluoride and de-worming medications. Additionally, a surgical team was able to perform 70 operations in one week in Banica.
Additional information about Medical Missionaries is available on their website at www.medicalmissionaries.info. For more information, contact Dr. Gil Irwin at 703/361-5116 or by e-mail at medmissionaries@yahoo.com.
Copyright ©2002 Arlington Catholic Herald. All rights reserved.
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