Улаанбаатар
IVU Team Performs Surgeries on 28 Patients for Free
Society
Ulaanbaatar, April 25, 2023 /MONTSAME/. At the request of First Central Hospital of Mongolia, the
International Volunteers in Urology (IVU) team, led by Dr. Mike Metro, Director
of Reconstructive Urology at Temple University Hospital worked in
Mongolia and performed urethral reconstructive procedures on 25 patients and
cancer surgeries on two patients for free between April 17 and 22.
This year’s workshop marked the 26th
in-person IVU workshop held in Mongolia since 2002. The team conducted lectures
and training seminars for medical trainees and healthcare providers, as well as
provided medical treatment to children and adults in need.
General Director of the First Central
Hospital of Mongolia B. Khishigjargal received the IVU team on April 21 and
expressed his gratitude to them for providing life-altering surgeries and care
to patients in need and discussed further expanding the cooperation between the
hospital and the IVU.
He noted “The IVU team collaborated with our
hospital’s urology doctors on the proper diagnostic workup of urethral
stricture disease and worked with them on surgical indications for different
stricture types. During their 7-day visit, the team successfully performed
surgeries on 28 people, including five children for free. In the future, we
would like to intensify our cooperation with the IVU to build healthcare
capacity, so that every person in Mongolia has access to quality urologic
care.”
Dr. Mike Metro, a
team leader of the IVU said, “For the last six years, we have worked in
Mongolia four times. Each time, we bring a different team with specialization
in different areas and perform life-saving surgeries. This time, our team
consisted of five reconstructive
urologists. It is satisfying to see that the skills of surgeons at First
Central Hospital have been improving. Mongolian surgeons are very determined to
learn new skills and techniques, apply what they have learned, and introduce
them into their practice.” Moreover, Dr. Mike Metro highlighted the professional skills of Mongolian nurses
and personally expressed his gratitude to them for their compassion
for taking care of every life and putting
themselves on the front line.
According to Doctor
D. Bayan-Under, the average cost for a urethral reconstructive procedure is around
USD 22 thousand in foreign countries.
