Local, regional children benefit from free WPP consultations, surgeries

More than 30 children were given free consultations, with 12 of them successfully undergoing surgeries this week, also without charge, thanks to the visiting team of urologists from the World Pediatric Project (WPP).{{more}}

Twenty-six of the of the 37 youngsters who were seen by the specialists were from St Vincent and the Grenadines, while parents journeyed with their children from as far north as St Kitts/Nevis, and Guyana in the south, to gain access to the free health care provided by the WPP here in SVG for the last 13 years.

Children and their parents also travelled from Grenada, St Lucia, Barbados and storm ravaged Dominica for assistance.

Of the 12 children undergoing surgeries, five were from St Vincent and the Grenadines, while seven were from the visiting territories.

Following the consultations last Sunday, the doctors, who had arrived the day before, proceeded to perform the sensitive operations on the children, whose ages ranged from weeks old to 15 years.

The six-member team was headed by Dr Dave Bomalaski, who journeyed all the way from Alaska to be here, and he was assisted by a team out of Louisiana and Barbados, consisting of Joseph Ortenberg, Gregory Mitchell, Daniel Corsino, Michelle Vincent and Clyde Williams.

WPP programme manager Chez Snyders, who also travelled from Richmond, Virginia, to facilitate the activities, said that the visit was a success, and that the WPP is already putting things in place for the next team visit, an orthopaedic mission, slated to arrive here in November this year.

Snyders predicted that this upcoming mission would be larger than the urology assignment. (JJ)