|
PROJECT SUMMARY:
Executive Summary
The project is design to carry out at least 100 Cataracts operations in the peripheral areas of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra where there is a great level of people with cataracts and of limited resources. This will be carried out through medical campaigns in these communities, and will help people who suffer from this disease to be reinserted into society. Additionally, professionals from these communities will be trained to treat and prevent this disease, as well as medical specialists on the latest methods and technologies applied to the operation and treatment of cataract disease.
This project is the continuance of the Global Grant 1743869 that was successfully executed in the 2016-2017 administration, and due to the large number of patients without surgery that still are in the communities, it has been decided to carry out a new project with the same characteristics as the GG-1743869
Project development
EVALUATION OF NEEDS AND SUSTAINABILITY
As a result of different medical campaigns for the communities surrounding Santa Cruz de la Sierra and meetings with the different health authorities of the communities, Rotary Club Grigotá detected the existence of numerous cases of people of a very young age with cataracts. Most of these cases represent a burden for their families and with this operation they could turn into a support for their families.
Meetings were held with the local health authorities and they manifest the need to intervene in favor of these people who can still work but because of this disease they are bedridden.
We have also visited the Ophthalmology Society of Bolivia, based in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, which unites all the professionals in Ophthalmology who tell us that this is a very common affliction of the poor in rural areas and surroundings of Santa Cruz de la Sierra and that an operation can really transform their lives.
An agreement has been discussed with the Society of Ophthalmology where they will be participating on the visits to the communities for the evaluation of potential patients and/or candidates to be operated on, and they will also carry out trainings to the local health authorities on how to treat this disease, giving talks on prevention and care for patients suffering from cataracts. An agreement is drawn up with a professional from abroad to come to train new professionals on the latest developments and new methods to treat this ailment. The Ophthalmology Society will be responsible for presenting this course among professionals.
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
With the participation and collaboration of the Society of Ophthalmology in the medical campaigns, Rotary Club Grigotá will organize monthly visits to the communities of Cotoca, La Guardia, Buena Vista, El Torno, Samaipata, Montero, Warnes and other communities that will be determined according to the needs and recommendations of the health authorities.
Visits will take place in these communities in order to evaluate patients with this disease and who are likely to be reintegrated into society once they are operated. These cases will be documented through an organized list by localities.
The commission, together with the Project Director will determine which communities will be given priority. The selected patients will be called so that they attend a previous evaluation for which a series of clinical studies must be carried out to confirm that they are apt to be operated on with high probability of success and minimizing the possibility of complications.
Once the operations to the selected patients are completed, they will have three post-operative checks, the first after 24 hours, where the success of the operation is already determined and the person detects a change in their life, a second check after 15 days and a third check after 30 days to confirm that the entire process has been successful.
EVALUATION AND MONITORING
Afterwards, a committee of Rotary will be assigned to follow up on these patients to check their status and that they have been successfully reincorporated into their productive lives.
Personalized visits will be held to obtain testimonies of the changes produced in the lives of the patients in order to show this transformation through social networks and by this show the world what Rotary can do to change the lives of the people.
The project considers several post-operative medical check-ups and several home visits to establish the progress of the patients and their reintegration into their social and working life.
The project has an execution schedule between 12 to 16 months. It starts with the visit to the communities to pre-select patients and then perform the operations.
It is also planned the visit of the professional or expert in the area of cataracts within the first 3 months of the project to carry out the courses and actively participate free of charge of at least 8 operations in the term of three days.
| 
