Background Information
Luang Namtha province in Lao PDR is surrounded by Myanmar, China, Oudomxay and Bokeo provinces. With 85% of the land in mountainous regions, the area is often referred to as the Golden Triangle. Most of the population of 145,310 people is poor and subsist mainly on slash and burn agriculture.
While traveling in Luang Namtha province in April 2009, in preparation of our third Health Care in Remote Area Mission planned for September 2009, we came across a group of older Akha women with children walking back to their village. We offer them to get a ride with us as we thought their village was located at only 3km. As it turned out, their village was at 25km from where we were.
Arriving at the village, which has a population of 600+ people, we were greeted by young girls who were on their way to get water at some distance from the village. We later learned that the small stream that provides water for the village is located at 1km from the village, at the bottom of the hill, hardly accessible with a 45 degree slope. The seasonal stream where animals also drink and bathe is visibly contaminated.
We were not surprised to find a few sick people in the village and thought that most likely some of them may have contracted typhoid fever (salmonella typhi). Indeed, two people were on the third week of high fever. At that stage, a number of complications can occur, most often intestinal perforation which is frequently fatal.
Our diagnosis was later confirmed by blood culture taken at Luang Namtha district hospital and sent to Vientiane for analysis. The family of the young man in the photo below had already been decimated. When asked why he was not taken to the hospital, they claimed that it was too far and had no money anyway to pay for treatment. In fact, they were treating him with useless local traditional medicine and a good dose of hope that the spirits would help too.
We took both patients to the Luang Namtha hospital where fortunately they recovered well. They returned to their village three weeks later.
Before leaving Laos in early May 2009, we retained the services of a local engineering firm that specializes in water issues to investigate options that may be available to provide water to the village.
After sending surveyors to several water sources around the village and as far as over 10 miles, we concluded that bringing water to the village by gravity would not be possible. With electricity having recently been brought to the village, we decided that drilling a well would be feasible and searched means of funding this project.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Water Hope organization in 2012, LRF acquired a drilling rig specially designed to reach villages in remote areas such as Ban Nam Yang. Rated to drill to a depth of 700 feet, we hope the new equipment will allow us to find water within the boundaries of the village itself.
A team of 25 health care professionals provided mobile health care services in 3 districts hospitals (Nga, Beng and Houn) during 8 days, providing 5 main services: ENT, dental, eye, expectant mother and pediatric services. ENT specialist from Mittaphab Hospital joined Oudomxay provincial team to examine patients by manual and automated equipment. Treatment and procedures were provided with good medicine and equipment.
A total of 3,579 patients were examined, treated when possible and recorded in 3 districts hospitals. This included: E.N.T. 684 cases, dental: 1,362 cases (including 400 children in primary school), eye: 732 cases, expectant mothers: 120 cases, and pediatrics: 681 cases.
The team performed 137 cataract surgery cases and 43 pterygium and eyelid cases. Post-surgery for all cases was completed without complications.
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The primary focus of this mission was to collaborate with the Lao physicians and surgeons to provide experience with complex operations so that they can continue the work after the team has left. Over seven days we operated on 30 patients. We trained Lao surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses. All operations were successful and there were no complications. In the past, many of these complex operations were sent to the capital Vientiane or Thailand, which did not provide the local Lao surgeons with the opportunity to develop surgical skills in this area.
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In February 2012 the LRF completed the project bringing clean water to the Mokchak village.
Click here to download the Mokchak water project report.
A Mobile Health Care unit, operating during nine days (October 2-10, 2011) in the three districts of Tonpheung, Huixay (BanDan) and Pha-Udom in Bokeo province. The team consisted of 52 medical workers and in total saw 4,190 patients. Click here to download the report on our Health Care in Remote Area mission for October 2011.
A Pediatric Mobile Clinic Service which provided services to over 700 infants. These included a wide range of direct medical and preventive health care interventions, and were delivered in concert with those of obstetric ultrasonography, dental, opthamologic, and internal medicine subspecialties. Click here to download the Report of Pediatric Mobile Clinic Services in Remote Area of Bokeo Province for Oct 2011.
The team provided service to all patients, with no regard to gender, age, ethnicity or religion. Services were free of charge for all patients (1,588 cases). Click here to download the report of Health Care in Remote Area for the June-July 2011 mission.
By serendipity, we met Monsay in a small Kamhou village near Vieng Phoukha in Luang Namtha province in September 2009 while en route to Houei Xay where we planned to hold our next plastic surgery mission. A year and a half before meeting him, Monsay then 20 years old was injured in an accident that broke both bones of his lower right leg for which he was never properly treated.
We arranged for him to undergo orthopedic surgery at Mittaphab Hopsital in Vientiane. He has now fully recovered, is able to walk and is back in his village where he his first endeavor was to weave a few baskets for us in recognition for the help we gave him. We keep them preciously in our office.
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This 7 day mission took place from 2-8 February, 2011. ENT service is an important and necessary health care component of the provincial hospital, however, it has limited functioning due to lack of specialist’s skills and surgical equipment. The LRF provided medical care to local patients and training to local staff. This mission examined all registered patients, with no regard to gender, age, ethnicity and religion, free of charge, with a total of 224 patients seen (179 females) – with 7 different surgery types performed.
Click here to download the Feb2011-Report of ENT surgery at UDX hospital (439KB).
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