Medical Brigades: an opportunity to serve others in need

Early that morning the pickup and the bus were ready to leave the city of Santa Rosa de Copan with all the Honduran medical teams excited to begin their journey with the medical brigade heading to El Gualme, Corquín Copán; a rural community located in a mountainous region of Western Honduras. After 2 hours’ drive on the dirt road, the teams finally arrived in the community where the people were already in line waiting for the arrival of the brigade, mothers were carrying their children and men by their side looking after their needs. These are the people who see brigades like this like their only chance to have a medical evaluation.

With the medical equipment installed and in operation, pharmacy and the professional volunteers, the line of people waiting began to move, they received services of general medicine, pediatrics, ophthalmological evaluations, audiological screenings, dental treatments and gynecology services (including ultrasound for pregnant women and cytologists). More than 800 services were provided to people with limited economic resources whose primary work is to grow coffee.

Among the people treated, we heard a couple of comments like “it is the first time that my son is checked by a specialist”, “God bless you” and “I wouldn´t be able to pay for my teeth´s treatment”.
For CAMO, these brigades represent an opportunity to bring our specialized medical services to communities like this and be able to follow up with patients who need further treatment or surgical procedures.

Each year, five brigades like this are programmed and organized in collaboration with local governments who prioritize their needs. To date, more than 3,500 services have been provided in five brigades carried out this year in the communities of Azacualpa, La Unión Copán; San Agustín, San Pedro Copán and El Gualme, Corquín Copán.