A series of remarkable statistics surrounding the recently concluded visit to Majuro hospital of Canvasback’s eye team tell only one part of the story — an important part to be sure.
The eye team during its two weeks here saw 374 patients, performed 176 surgeries, and dispersed 69 reading glass and 222 sunglasses. Another 99 prescription glasses were ordered for local patients.
But the team faced the huge challenge of trying to meet the demand from patients needing surgeries.
Canvasback’s Sterling Spence put the challenge this way: “One of the hardest parts of bringing a medical team to Majuro is knowing that we may not be able to see everyone who needs care. The doctors who travel with Canvasback volunteer their time, often using most or all of their vacation days from their jobs back home to make the trip. That means our teams stay as long as they can, but there is always a limit to how many patients we can see and how many surgeries we can perform.”
And the surgery list quickly filled up once Canvasback was on Majuro. “We filled the entire surgery schedule by the end of the fourth day,” Spence said. “More people continued to come in who needed surgery, so we began a waiting list, knowing there was no guarantee we would be able to fit everyone in.”
But throughout the week, the surgical team kept finding opportunities to provide service to those on the waiting list. “They worked hard, stretched the schedule where they could, and each day we were able to bring one or two more people in from the waiting list,” he said. “By the end of the visit, something we had not been sure was possible had happened: Every patient on the original surgery schedule had received their procedure, and so had every person on the waiting list.”
Canvasback’s eye team worked closely with Ministry of Health and Human Services staff to deliver their services.
Many eventful things happened during the visit:
- We were very happy to do cataract surgery for Governor Stevenson Joseph from Pohnpei and for Dr. ChoCho Thein, the Medical Director from the Ebeye hospital, said Canvasback’s Sterling Spence. Dr. ChoCho has supported so many of Canvasback’s trips to Ebeye and we know that providing her with the care she needed allows her to continue her critical work serving the people of the Marshall Islands.
- One person on the waiting list for surgery was Florina Nathan. She was scheduled for surgery with a Canvasback eye team in 2024, but had to miss it because of a family emergency. Florina has been a friend of Canvasback from the very beginning and her husband Arata, who headed the ministry’s Outer Islands Dispensary Systems for decades, was Canvasback’s first boss in the Marshall Islands. “It felt very meaningful to be able to serve her during this trip. At our Yokwe party, she got up and sang beautifully for the team!” Spence said.
- “We are of course indebted to the Majuro hospital staff who really are our heroes. Dr. Annie Chong Gum, Dr. Wint Wah Ko, Agnes Flood, Gina Torean, Connie Leon, Zaly Panaguiton, Saralynn Anni, and Emiko Laurok,” he said, adding: “Canvasback’s ophthalmologists were particularly impressed by Dr. Wint Wah Ko, the new ophthalmologist for the Majuro Hospital. She is incredibly knowledgeable and experienced, even able to do some procedures that our doctors are unable to. Majuro is very lucky to have her serving at the hospital and we encourage the community to make appointments to see her. You’re in great hands!”