Emmaus Medical Mission
In the fall of 2001, a handful of doctors, nurses and volunteers went on the first medical mission to Sumpango, Guatemala. After treating over a thousand patients, some of whom had walked all night through the mountains to be seen by the physicians, the medical team agreed to return every six months to treat the mountain people of Guatemala. Within a couple of years the medical mission had grown to over thirty volunteers and took on the official name of the Emmaus Medical Mission.
The Emmaus Medical Mission travels every six months to Sumpango, Guatemala where Leonor Portela established the orphanage, Misioneros Del Camino.
The Emmaus Medical Mission has grown alongside the orphanage. Since 2001, two medical missions per year have traveled to Guatemala as well as to other countries. Through the years, over fifty thousand patients have been treated. The physicians have performed numerous medical procedures including, hundreds of surgeries with pathological reviews, gastrointestinal endoscopies, and pap smears.
The mission routinely takes over fifty doctors, nurses, and volunteers to treat three to four thousand patients per mission. Among the broad range of medical specialties are internal medicine, pediatrics, pulmonary specialists, gastroenterology, gynecology, infectious disease, hematology/oncology, dentists, general and plastic surgeons, podiatrists, as well as pharmacists, nurse practitioners, and registered nurses.
The most common medical conditions encountered are; Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus, Malnutrition, Pregnancies, Severe Heartburn, Chronic Diarrhea, Dehydration, Parasitic Infestations, Asthma, Allergies, Skin Rashes, Syncope, and Chronic Infections of the Lungs, Skin, and Gastrointestinal tract. The most common surgical conditions include; Inguinal Hernia, Cleft Lip & Palate, Breast Masses, and Head and Neck Tumors.
With over eighty volunteers and healthcare providers routinely going on these medical missions, a second village in Guatemala, San Pedro, is also served by the medical mission.
In October of 2006 a second country was added. The Emmaus Medical Mission traveled to Pamplona, Peru, a town approximately 20 miles from the outskirts of Lima. Having experienced first hand the necessity of providing medical care to the people of this beautiful country, the group will return every year to Peru. In 2008 the Emmaus Medical Mission traveled to Ecuador with the hope of adding other countries as resources allow.
The Emmaus Medical Mission runs like a well-oiled machine with logistical teams, triage units and multidisciplinary specialists who treat a broad range of health care needs. From set-up to tear-down, the clinics resemble a fully operational “MASH” unit with the capacity to deliver effective field-based healthcare. Each team member travels with two duffle bags weighing over 100 lbs. filled with medicines and supplies. The medications arrive with the team to ensure that no medicines are lost along the way; they are hand carried and delivered by the physicians to the patients for whom they were intended. No government or non-government intermediaries have access to the medications at any point during the mission thus ensuring complete accountability.
Several charitable organizations including: Americares, MAP International, and Heart to Heart provide medications in addition to the recruitment efforts of all attendees who collect over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and personal hygiene products. Each volunteer traveling as part of the medical mission pays for all of their personal expenses as well as their airline ticket. Despite each volunteer’s vast effort to gather medicines and supplies, too often the medications run out before the last patient is treated.
As the mission continues to undergo rapid expansion, the need for additional medicines grows exponentially. Your support is needed to meet the growing demands of the medical mission in order to treat the thousands of patients that have little to no access to healthcare. By returning every six months to the same areas, and providing patients with chronic conditions enough medications to last until the next visit, there can be a "continuum of care" within the confinements of a medical mission.
The Emmaus Medical Mission has a proven track record of successfully treating thousands of patients. Doctors, nurses and volunteers are willing to donate their time and services in recognition of their commitment to faith and service. In order to meet the growing demands for medicines and supplies, The Emmaus Medical Mission needs your support.
All donations are welcomed and appreciated. Financial support allows the mission to purchase medicines when supplies run out during a mission. Donations of medicines, vitamins, and personal hygiene products are especially important in order to forge ahead with this mercy mission to treat the underserved and forgotten people of our world.
For information and donations, please email:
Dr. Orlando Silva