| What’s Gironas’ chief of ophthalmology doing
in Benin?
Dr. Teruel and his adventure experience
01 DECEMBER 2009 | COTONOU, BENIN
Dr. Carlos Teruel is chief of ophthalmology at the Josep Trueta hospital in Girona and has his own private clinic but has still found time to travel around the world helping with different humanitarian projects over the last 20 years.
My experience aboard the Africa Mercy
After 20 years of involvement in different humanitarian missions in developing nations in the area of ophthalmology I recently spent a few weeks volunteering with Mercy Ships.
If I had to name one characteristic that applied to all the humanitarian aid programs I have worked with over the years it would be diversity. Each one has had a different set of characteristics, circumstances and environment in which they work that makes it different from the others.
 |
 |
|
Dr. Carlos Teruel. |
Benin is just another of these developing nations that has a public health infrastructure way below any desirable minimum standard. The almost non existence of most medical specialities is even worse. Just a few ophthalmologists attend a population of over 7 million in a country where most people live below the poverty line and any medical assistance involves a financial cost to the patient. In these kind of living conditions a persons sight is everything and without it their chances of survival are severely limited. Often the affected person is the bread winner and the whole family suffers as a result.
In April I arrived in the port city of Cotonou, Benin and boarded the Africa Mercy.
The ship was 2 months into the 10 month campaign running from February to December. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was in the kind of environment that I had not experienced in other humanitarian projects. The work environment was structured and well coordinated with state of the art equipment readily available. But what struck me the most was the spirit of selfless service exhibited by every one of the more than 400 crew onboard.
At first I was surprised and caught a little off guard but those feelings soon gave way to a real sense of peace and common purpose that provided me with a very efficient work environment. An environment very different to that in many of our own cold, sterile hospitals and very no at all like the disorganization to which I had become accustomed on other humanitarian projects…
 |
Dr. Teruel operating in one of
the 6 theatres on board the AFM. |
We carried out nearly 500 cataract surgeries in 15 days.
Even though we had to hand the very latest phaco emulsifying equipment, most of the cataracts were so far developed, that we used a new little known, but very effective, extra capsular technique using a channelized corneal incision without sutures. It’s a technique that requires a little training but produces better results in these circumstances.
Pterigion and other afflictions of the pupil were also treated and even though there were patients obviously suffering many other eye conditions due to the lack of follow up eye care, the surgeries were restricted to the anterior segment.
The results were very satisfactory and it was an unforgettable personal experience.
I would like to thank all those involved in giving me this opportunity to volunteer onboard the Africa Mercy, and to experience what to me is one of life’s most satisfying sensations; that of having done a little something to improving the much deteriorated world in which we live. |
