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Mission Report: San Salvador, El Salvador - 2009

Between January 24 and February 1, the GSF team was working at the Hospital Nacional de Niños Benjamin Bloom. For many members of our team, this was the fifth mission to El Salvador in four years. The need for surgical services to correct cleft deformities in El Salvador is great, and the availability of such expertise is often lacking. In fact, 95% of the children born with cleft in El Salvador live in impoverished conditions. They cannot afford, access, and often do not attempt to receive cleft treatment. With its limited resources, this children's hospital can only attend to approximately 150 patients per year, while the number of cleft babies increases annually by 600.

Our team consisted of: 4 Surgeons, 4 Anesthesiologists, 3 OR Nurses, 2 PACU Nurses, 1 Postoperative Nurse, 1 Pediatrician, 1 Pediatric Dentist, 1 Speech Therapist, 2 Support Staff, 2 Local coordinators, and 5 Local translators.

Working together, we were able to accomplish the following:

  • 100 Cleft and Microtia patients screened
  • 56 surgical procedures performed
  • 75 dental patients evaluated
  • 48 dental procedures performed
  • 32 speech therapy consultations
  • 10 speech therapy sessions
  • In total, 207 patients were evaluated and 114 procedures/treatments performed

Observing our commitment to the local staff, we were able to organize the following educational activities:

  • Our surgical, anesthesia & speech therapy staff delivered lectures to the local medical community
  • GSF provided hands-on training throughout the surgical week. The local surgeons assisted and observed all procedures
  • The Smile Train Educational DVD was provided to Salvadorian surgeons along with journals, books and CDs

A special thanks to the Secretaria Nacional De La Familia and the First Lady for visiting the team and appreciating our participation. Moreover, this mission was made possible through the commitment of The Smile Train.