Two Days in Bhutan: Start of the Medical Mission

The Hon’ble Health Minister of Bhutan meets with the IEP team.

What a long, strange trip it’s been. Three flights and 12 hours of layovers. Now stay up. Now go to sleep!

Day One: 8,000 Feet and Patient Screenings

Smiles make all the travel worthwhile.

Here we are at 8,000 feet elevation, short of breath, and driving to the hospital. We had a formal introduction to the orthopedic department, replete with PowerPoint presentations on both sides of the table.

From there, it was off to the screening clinic for both lower-extremity and dental patients. The extremity clinic was packed and started with a little chaos. But we soon got in the groove and finished evaluating our list of pre-screened patients. We handed off the list, and the surgeries were scheduled. 

Our Nursing Director Jenni Lehnert was in the operating rooms, organizing our supplies and ensuring all our equipment was properly sterilized.

The dental team also screened patients. More importantly, they reviewed the long- and short-term care plans for each patient. The attending Bhutanese dentists presented their patients for Dr. Kao’s evaluation. Logan Lehnert was at his side, helping with the program.

Now, sleep again.

Day Two: The Teams Get Started

Jet lag was a little better, but it was another sleepless high-altitude night.
 

Drs Lehnert, Palmanovich, and Meir

The dental team continued its program without a hitch. The Bhutanese dentists were eager to learn all Dr. Kao could teach them. They even had a surgical lab session focused on the finer techniques of periodontal surgery. Lectures finished off the day for the dental team.

The extremity team completed the first surgical cases with seven patients ages 2 to 72. Life-changing surgeries will help relieve pain and provide a new outlook on life for all these patients. On to another sleepless night?

— Bruce Lehnert