Healing people in Mozambique
Medical miracles do happen at Rotary’s medical missions to Africa. One such is the “complete recovery of 59-year-old Fernanda who was suffering from bilateral resting tremors for the last’ 10 years, and could not get up from the chair or walk without support. She was totally dependent for everything in the last five years due to Parkinson’s disease,” said PDG Ranjit Bhatia, project chair of Rotary Medical Mission to Mozambique, Africa.
Fernanda was brought to the neurology OPD at the Provincial Government Hospital, Chimoio in Mozambique, where the 26-member Rotary Vocational Technical Training Mission (RVTTM) was camping to treat African patients and train local doctors in critical surgical procedures in April 2024. “She was administered a strong dosage of Levodopa and the doctors observed her clinical response… to our amazement, she had a dramatic recovery the next day as she could walk into our OPD tent, sit and even smiled giving us a thumbs up. It will take some time for her to speak. Is this not a miracle,” said Bhatia.
The Rotary team consisting of 18 doctors across specialties and eight Rotarian volunteers, left Haryana with 1,000kg of surgical equipment and medicines and returned with a sense of accomplishment. “We not only treated patients, but also trained local doctors in doing some intricate surgeries. We also gave the medical equipment and supplies to that government hospital,” said team leader IPDG Arun Mongia (RID 3080). “It was a very satisfying mission. Both the local government and the people were very helpful, for they lack medical facilities and don’t have specialist doctors to handle critically ill patients.”
Led by RC Panipat Royale, RID 3080, which got a $90,000 GG sanctioned for the medical mission, the project was also sponsored by RC Chimoio Planalto, RID 9210; and RIDs 3080-India ($15,000), 3552-Florida, US ($20,000), 3650-South Korea ($10,000) and 9210-Mozambique ($5,000) through their district funds. The Rotarian doctors examined over 3,700 OPD patients, and performed 827 surgeries across eye, general, plastic, orthopaedic, gynaecology, ENT and dental specialties.
Project coordinator PDG Raman Aneja, medical director Dr Karan Singh, Mozambique PDG Nela Bettencourt and past president Gisela Mirclo worked for several months to tie up the logistic knots for the mission. “So far, RID 3080 has done 44 medical missions — 27 of them to 16 African countries, and 17 to various states in India. The concept of RVTTM was the brainchild of PRIP Rajendra Saboo, who flagged off the first mission in 1998,” explained Mongia.
In August, DG Rajpal Singh will lead a two-week medical mission to Ethiopia. Rotarians from RIDs 3141, 3131 (Maharashtra), 3056, 3060 (Gujarat) and 3070 (Punjab) were also part of the mission which received great hospitality from Dr Marilia De Morai Pugas, director, Provincial Hospital, and her support staff. Indian High Commissioner to Mozambique Robert Shetkintong flew down from capital Maputa to interact with the Rotary team which later took time off to visit the Gorongosa National Park.
