In the last operativo médico at Central Romana Hospital, from May 6th to May 10th, 60 hand surgeries were carried out to help people in need from across the Dominican Republic who had hand deformaties. These surgeries were leaded by a prominent orthopedic surgeon Dr. Edward Shaw Wilgins from the United Sates.
Of the 150 people, who requested the surgery, 60 were selected to benefit from a variety of corrective surgeries like reconstruction and tendon transposition, arthroplasty, osteotomy, and removal of osteosynthesis material.
The surgeries -part of an ongoing series of “operativo medicos” ran annually by the Central Romana Corporation- were performed by a team of doctors who came to the country from the United States led by Dr. Michael Murphy, of Union Memorial Hospital, in Baltimore, MD, while in this case, Dr. Edward Shaw Wilgins guided the surgeries in the country.
According to the hospital, Dr. Edward started this “operativo medico” focused on hands surgeries more than 15 years ago, to benefit patients living in the bateys and other nearby communities of the greater La Romana area.
“I first came to the country when I was invited by the Patronato Benéfico Oriental in La Romana to meet several cases of hand reconstructive surgeries in children from the Hogar del Niño. It was an experience of great satisfaction for me,” said Dr. Wilgins.
The team of surgeons with Dr. José Lopez, Director of the Centro Médico
In his opinion, most of surgeries performed produce a significant improvements in the lives of patients seen.“I remember a case of syndactyly in a six-month-old, whose fingers were united. After the surgery his fingers were free and he could start to holdthings”, said Dr. Wilgins.
Dr. Edward Shaw Wilgins expressed his enthusiasm to continue his work with the Dominican doctors of Central Romana Hospital, whom he described as excellent professionals and great colleagues, including Dr. José López director of the hospital, Dr. Isabel Leon, chief of surgical, and Dr. Victor Carvajal, anaesthesiologist.
During his time on the “operativo medico”, he talked about the impressive new modern infrastructure of the new “Centro Médico” Central Romana Hospital which opened in 2011. “The conditions of the new hospital are great, comparable with any hospital of United States”, he said.
Those excellent and modern facilities of Central Romana Hospital which Dr. Wilgins refers- as well as the hospital services- were described to us by Dr. Lopez through an interview shown below:
Interview with Dr. José Lopez: “We are pioneers, in critical care medicine in the country.”
The emergency service care offered, 24 hours a day, seven days a week by Central Romana’s Centro Medico (the Central Romana Hospital) is outstanding – a topic discussed in an interview with Dr. José López Larache, the Health Vice President of Central Romana & Director of the Centro Médico.
Spanish
