Every year, the isolated villages of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco wait with hopeful anticipation for the Solidarité Maroc medical caravan. Located near the town of Imilchil at elevations exceeding 2,300 meters, these villages do not have a permanent access to medical care, so the villagers must travel long distances to reach the nearest hospital.
Dr. Farah Chaudhry, Consultant in Sexual and Reproductive Health for Leeds Sexual Health, West Yorkshire, describes how point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) allows her to give informed and clear assurances to women using long-acting contraception.
Every day, 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. 99% live in rural areas. Many of them could be prevented with proper maternal care including ultrasound imaging during their pregnancy and delivering in a medical clinic. Of those deaths, 40% are due to injuries or conditions related to placenta complications - and the only way to detect abnormal placenta challenges is through an ultrasound exam.
The mission of Partners in Health (PIH) is to provide a preferential option for the underprivileged in health care. By establishing long-term relationships with sister organizations, PIH strives to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need of them.
Dr. David Johnsen is a diagnostic radiologist working with medical missions to the Dominican Republic. His team borrowed a Sonosite M-Turbo through Sonosite’s Global Loaner Program for a recent mission. Dr. Johnsen submitted this report of his experiences in the Caribbean country.
Trevor Dixon, MD, RDMS, is the Director of Emergency Ultrasound at Jacobi Medical Center in New York City and the founder and CEO of the JAHJAH Foundation (Jamaicans Abroad Helping Jamaicans At Home). Because of his specialty, Dr. Dixon is known as “The Ultrasound Guy.”
Dr. Carlye Jensen practices emergency and family medicine in Canada. She recently went on a mission for Ghana Rural Integrated Development (GRID), whose purpose is to provide basic medical care to the rural areas of northern Ghana, where many patients have no access to healthcare at all. Dr.
Emergency physician Dr. Steven Boutrus was kind enough to write this article for FUJIFILM Sonosite about his use of ultrasound during a medical mission for Grace Dental and Medical Missions.