Vanda Pratas Vital , the coordinator of Paediatric Surgery at Hospital da Luz Lisboa, Sara Cordeiro Pereira , paediatric surgeon, and nurses Magui Dias , from paediatric inpatient service, and Elsa Roda Silva , from the surgical unit, integrated the medical team, in the most recent mission to Sao Tome and Principe, promoted by the Marquês de Valle Flor Association, in the context of the project “Health for All” (Saúde para Todos) developed by this institution in that country. Between the 5 and 19 November, the team – also integrating a specialist in Paediatric Surgery, an anaesthesiologist and two physiotherapists from other institutions, in a total of eight volunteers – performed several health care procedures and provided training sessions to professionals from Hospital Dr Ayres de Menezes , in Sao Tome, also offering informative and health educational sessions to children and parents. Around 60 consultations of preoperative assessment and 45 surgeries to children were performed (many of them suffering from congenital malformations), besides over 100 physiotherapy interventions (to children with burns and/or respiratory difficulties), and multiple procedures and surgical and nursing care. Dozens of training sessions in paediatric surgery, nursing care and anaesthesia were provided, destined to Santomean internists and nurses. The mission also distributed toys, educational material and clothes to all the operated children, besides offering medication and other material to the paediatric service of the hospital in question. The team from Hospital da Luz Lisboa – which has been providing its professionals with the conditions to participate in similar volunteer activities, organized by different institutions – highlights “the great joy” in being able to take part in another initiative by the Marquês de Valle Flor Association and thus help to improve the health of the young population of Sao Tome and Principe. In the photo above , the Hospital da Luz professionals preparing a surgery.
