Author: TEAM IOWD

IOWD’s January 2009 mission in Niger included returning staff, Drs. Alfred Bent, Joan Blomquist, Tim McKinney, Greg Owens, Nurse Anesthetist Janet Dewan, Suzy Arencibia RN, Yolande Aqui RN, Louise Gilbert RN and Holly Rae Stone, RN. John Alexander, our wonderful friend who organized IOWD’s supply room and put all items on a spread sheet, returned again to continue his fabulous work teaching guitar to English Club students at our favorite High School.

Dr. Ahmed Safaan, urologist from Egypt(Ahmed spent 2 years working in Niger previously) brought a colleague, anesthesiologist, Dr. Sameh El Awady to round out the team at the National.

New to our group were Dr. Jose Amaya, anesthesiologist; and Fellows, Dr. Tatiana Sanses and Dr. Charu Dhingra. Nancy Strong, RN also joined this mission.

An incredible team made up of Dr. Josh Holden, Dr. Jacquin Matthews, Surgical Tech Angie Slagle, accompanied by our dedicated RN, Holly Rae Stone, took the Gazobe Maternity Hospital by storm! They worked with the new Stryker laparoscopic equipment ( donated through the efforts of Dr. Scott Eder), teaching the Residents how to handle this costly gift!! Thanks to the intense instruction, Residents at Gazobe are now performing surgeries numerous times a week using the Stryker equipment!

With the end of Ramadan and the celebration of Eid, our team arrived in Niger on October 12. The group included returning doctors Bruce Crawford, Rene Genadry, Soo Kwon, Gopal Badlani, Janet Li, Mike Conley, Jeffrey Freed, Scott Eder and Rehana Kauser. Dr. David Glazier, Dr. Aditya Dash, Dr. Suzanne Walczak and Dr. Julianna Schantz-Dunn joined the group as “first-timers”.

Our Nursing Director, Njoki Ng’ang’a, lead a team consisting of Jacqueline Green, Melanie Haller and Mid-wife, Katherine Erbe. Audrey Orell, Rita Steele, and Loni Steele were our non-medical volunteers.
IOWD team members presented both the National Hospital and Gazobe Maternity Hospital with approximately $400,000 worth of supplies, medicines and equipment. Among the machines donated were two cystoscopes, anesthesia monitors, heart and blood pressure monitors and two complete sets of laparoscopic equipment! Although we are grateful to so many American companies who have been exceptionally generous to IOWD’s program in Niger, we offer a special thanks to Stryker, Storz, Wolf, Olympus, Space Lab, Cardinal Health, Johnson&Johnson, Americares, and Hackensack University Medical Centre for all their fabulous donations on this particular trip.

In the extraordinary heat of April, our “regular” team returned. Drs. Ralph Chesson, Karolynn Echols, Cynthia Hall, Briana Robinson-Walton, Okey Ibaneu, Saifuddin Mama, Star Hampton, Sharon Knight and Roberta Blandon braved the 120-degree heat once again. Joining us this time were Fellows Dr.Rene Ward and Dr. Sharon Jakus.

Our Anesthesia team included Dr. Fatai Illupeju, Dr. Ricardo Palop, Anesthesia Nurses Janet Dewan and Emily Ostiguy. The Nursing team was lead by returning nurse, Kathleen Scott and assisted by Julia Chandler. Our non-medical volunteers were Horace Field and Ellen Palop.