Myanmar - the land of golden domes and pagodas, the land of smiles is one of the poorest countries in Asia. Back in 2004, I was able to take part in an INTERPLAST - Germany mission in Myanmar with Dr. Exner and operate on many patients in the hospital in Thandwe. The MIT (Medical Intervention Team), which was also founded in Frankfurt and to which Dr. Exner and I have belonged for many years, had just completed its 10th mission at Sitagu Ayudana Hospital. It was my 8th mission in Myanmar and Dr. Exner's 17th.
The Buddhist academy of the Sayadaw of Sitagu (one of Myanmar's particularly high-ranking monks) is located in the hills of the Sagaing Hills. Next to the academy, the monks run one of their many hospitals. Dr. Saw, the local doctor, examines the patients in advance for each mission and schedules them according to their illness for the various teams that regularly visit the hospital for a certain period of the year. The patients and their families are informed by the monks and nuns in the many monasteries, as well as via radio and television, and assigned to the various teams.
After a flight of over 30 hours, we went straight to the hospital, where around 60 little patients and their families were already waiting for us. This year, our team consisted of 3 plastic surgeons, 3 ENT doctors, 3 anesthesiologists, 2 dentists, 2 assistant doctors, nursing staff and 2 medical students. While some of us prepared the operating rooms with four operating tables, others unpacked over 30 boxes of medical equipment or prepared the dental ward, the specialists were able to examine the patients and draw up the plan for the coming days.
We were accompanied everywhere by very nice and hard-working Burmese nurses and carers, who helped us with interpreting and organizing the upcoming operations. After a quick dinner and a shower, everyone fell into a short deep sleep, as the bus was already waiting outside the hotel at 7.00 am to take us to the hospital.
Over the next few days, we were able to perform over 90 operations on children and young adults who mainly suffered from congenital cleft lips, jaws and palates or were severely affected by burns to the hands.
were impaired. The dentists were able to work at 2 dental chairs in parallel and carried out over 150 treatments. Every morning and evening, the operated children were examined and further medical treatment was determined. Fortunately, we did not have a single serious complication. On the last day, there was a final visit for all the children. As every year, this was a highlight of the mission. Many mothers asked for photos with us and their children and we were also able to take photos for documentation and any necessary further treatment. It was a nice end to a very busy and intensive time for everyone, during which we gave our best, so
to help as many children as possible and to treat them according to standards that are also recognized in Europe.
The happy and grateful eyes of the parents are our greatest thanks. Many children were once again able to receive an operation that will give them a better start in life. All members of this anniversary mission of MIT eV. are prepared to sacrifice several vacation days and every effort again next year to give the children of Myanmar a better future. So we will gather again on a Friday afternoon at the airport with many boxes and suitcases to start the next humanitarian operation. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the generous donors who make this work possible in the first place.
Bianca Baican
EN 
DE