Honduras Has Many Needs
As a family physician, I had the chance to do six medical missions in the past three years.
In 2005 and 2006, I had the opportunity to go help in Honduras.
I can honestly say, in all the missions I have done, I have received more than I have given.
Challenges of Life in Honduras Honduras is one of the most beautiful countries in the World with its spectacular mountains and gorgeous coastlines.
Honduras although rich in minerals such as gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore and timber most of the people are very poor.
Indeed Honduras is considered the Third Poorest Nation per capita in the entire Western Hemisphere and 66.
8% of the 6.
5 million population base is considered to be impoverished.
The challenges of the life in rural Honduras are not unbeatable although at first glance appear overwhelming.
You see, Hondurans are a naturally tough group of people living in what many believe is paradise.
Volunteers often talk about the greenery; "YES! All green mountains, no pollution, no noise, a nice fog in the morning and we could hear the monkeys in the background.
One morning we saw a nice Toucan, very colorful.
" Medical Needs Due to the abundance of vegetation there are many hardy insects in Honduras and these tough insects own the domain.
This means bugs bite much harder and with more vengeance than one who is not familiar might imagine.
One major problem is the rural poor of Honduras do not have purified water which causes most intestinal parasites in most that are seen by the medical mission teams.
One medical volunteer to Honduras from Canada remembers; "When we give them the medication, they get better but then they re-drink the contaminated water and get re-infested.
The poor quality of water also causes people to have fungal infections of the skin.
The poor hygiene conditions also causes scabies and head lice in epidemic proportion.
" Of course prescribing antibiotics is not always possible as one volunteer said because if they prescribe antibiotics, they have to check if it needs refrigeration and most people in rural Honduras do not have electricity.
The issue with parasites is significant and the medical professionals and their assistants spend a lot of time dealing with these issues.
One MD from Canada on a medical mission to Honduras stated; "In the US and Canada, if we you suspect a person has parasites, you do a stool sampling test and if it is positive you tell all your colleagues of your rare discovery.
In Honduras, the way, you diagnose if a person has parasites, you ask them "Do you have parasites?" and they answer "Yes!"Many Honduran children suffer from malnutrition and these same problems are visible in many of the rural villages throughout the country.
A medical mission volunteer told us with great concern; "When I ask one mother why her child was not eating properly, she answered: "We are poor.
I do not have money to buy food.
" That broke my heart.
" Writing articles and an e-book on the medical missions in Honduras and sharing the needs of the people has been the result of a joint effort.
These articles were made possible by the help from Lance Winslow who so generously put into words, in an amazingly efficient way, my experience in Honduras.
This shows that there are numerous ways to help third world countries.
In 2005 and 2006, I had the opportunity to go help in Honduras.
I can honestly say, in all the missions I have done, I have received more than I have given.
Challenges of Life in Honduras Honduras is one of the most beautiful countries in the World with its spectacular mountains and gorgeous coastlines.
Honduras although rich in minerals such as gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore and timber most of the people are very poor.
Indeed Honduras is considered the Third Poorest Nation per capita in the entire Western Hemisphere and 66.
8% of the 6.
5 million population base is considered to be impoverished.
The challenges of the life in rural Honduras are not unbeatable although at first glance appear overwhelming.
You see, Hondurans are a naturally tough group of people living in what many believe is paradise.
Volunteers often talk about the greenery; "YES! All green mountains, no pollution, no noise, a nice fog in the morning and we could hear the monkeys in the background.
One morning we saw a nice Toucan, very colorful.
" Medical Needs Due to the abundance of vegetation there are many hardy insects in Honduras and these tough insects own the domain.
This means bugs bite much harder and with more vengeance than one who is not familiar might imagine.
One major problem is the rural poor of Honduras do not have purified water which causes most intestinal parasites in most that are seen by the medical mission teams.
One medical volunteer to Honduras from Canada remembers; "When we give them the medication, they get better but then they re-drink the contaminated water and get re-infested.
The poor quality of water also causes people to have fungal infections of the skin.
The poor hygiene conditions also causes scabies and head lice in epidemic proportion.
" Of course prescribing antibiotics is not always possible as one volunteer said because if they prescribe antibiotics, they have to check if it needs refrigeration and most people in rural Honduras do not have electricity.
The issue with parasites is significant and the medical professionals and their assistants spend a lot of time dealing with these issues.
One MD from Canada on a medical mission to Honduras stated; "In the US and Canada, if we you suspect a person has parasites, you do a stool sampling test and if it is positive you tell all your colleagues of your rare discovery.
In Honduras, the way, you diagnose if a person has parasites, you ask them "Do you have parasites?" and they answer "Yes!"Many Honduran children suffer from malnutrition and these same problems are visible in many of the rural villages throughout the country.
A medical mission volunteer told us with great concern; "When I ask one mother why her child was not eating properly, she answered: "We are poor.
I do not have money to buy food.
" That broke my heart.
" Writing articles and an e-book on the medical missions in Honduras and sharing the needs of the people has been the result of a joint effort.
These articles were made possible by the help from Lance Winslow who so generously put into words, in an amazingly efficient way, my experience in Honduras.
This shows that there are numerous ways to help third world countries.
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