Kang Hui Hospital Medical Trip ˇV 28 May to 11 June 2007
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The Kang Hui Hospital was established
in
2005
to provide free care to the residents of
Maniganggo. The hospital now has
a Tibetan doctor
in residence, managing the hospital.
Maniganggo severely lacks dental care.
Due to this need, we began
recruiting dentists
to
provide free treatment
for the local residents.
Soon after we posted a request for volunteers,
I was introduced to Dr.
Au Yeung.
After
learning about
the
project,
Dr Au Yeung
immediately
agreed to serve as volunteer
dentist, and invited
Miss
Luzy Chin,
dental assistant,
to
join us.
Our group of
six (including
another
project initiator, Miss
Alexandria
Fu and two volunteers)
began
the journey
to
Maniganggo for
two weeks.
After arriving
Chengdu, we
met another
therapist and drove 18 hours to
Kang
Hui
Hospital. We were very excited about the beautiful
scenery
on the way to Maniganggo. There were
vast
prairies, robust
pastures,
snowy
mountains, beautiful
lakes
and unique Tibetan architecture.
As the hospital is
located in
the mountains
at 4,000 meters above sea level,
we
needed to
rest for
the first
day
before we started to work.
On the second day, there were many
patients
waiting
for dental checkups before the clinic opened.
I acted
as an intake nurse,
recording all the
patientsˇ¦
names
and medical
history,
and
took
photos
for their
records.
This
was
the first time for a dentist to visit the
hospital
and with only simple equipment
he provided
fillings
and extraction
services.
The Tibetans
had little knowledge of dental hygiene;
most of the patientsˇ¦ teeth were too bad to
undergo the filling procedure.
I most effected by two
patients.
First, an elderly woman who needed four
extractions
(three
were
molar),
leaving
her without any
teeth. Second, was a
12 year-old boy
with
very nice teeth when he smiled.
However,
upon inspection, Dr. Au Yeung found
that he had
four molars
which were
seriously decayed.
The boy liked eating sugary candies, but did not
brush his teeth. Unable to perform so many
extractions on such a young patient,
Dr. Au Yeung was able to
remove
the
most painful molar.
These cases
show the importance of education. We need to
teach the residents of Maniganggo about dental
hygiene.
In addition to dental
care,
a
therapist
treated patientsˇ¦ muscle and joint pain.
Many older patients had some
small scars
on their knees. Upon inquiry, they told me that
in order to relieve the joint pain, they used
incense or wooden sticks to burn the joint area.
The pain they endured must have been unimaginable.
Although this medical trip was short, all the
volunteers had unforgettable memories and
experiences.
Patients rode to the clinic by horses to see the dentist and therapist. Staying at the hospital
enabled the volunteers to better
understand
the
Tibetan culture. The visit to
Maniganggo proved to be priceless to not just the
residents we helped, but the volunteers as well.
Kang
Hui Hospital, see you
next year!
Vivian Fung Oct 2007
Kang Hui Hospital Medical Trip ˇV July 2009
Two years have passed since my last visit to the Kang Hui
Hospital, although the memories of my time spent
there are still fresh in my mind.
My visit began in Chengdu. Our group of volunteers spent time
purchasing medical equipment and preparing for the
journey to Maniganggo, where the hospital is
located. Although the path leading to the
hospital was long and rough, and took many hours,
I was delighted to be able to observe the nature
and wildlife.
In two weeks, volunteers from Taiwan and Hong Kong will visit
the Kang Hui Hospital. We will distribute free
medication to those in need.
I am so looking forward to this trip and to
sharing my experiences with all of you!
Vivian Fung July 2009
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