Hong Kong airport

Hong Kong airport
Welcomed by District 3450

Thanks for a great send off!

Thanks for a great send off!
Portland Maine

Maria A. D'Andrea

Maria A. D'Andrea
Registered Nurse; Southern Maine Medical Center

Darren Guy

Darren Guy
Physician

Tracey Merrill

Tracey Merrill
physical therapist

Erin Regan

Erin Regan
Registered Nurse

Karen Abendroth

Karen Abendroth
Social Worker

Burton Dibble, M.D.

Burton Dibble, M.D.
Family Physician, GSE Team Leader

Thursday, March 24, 2011

March 24 Women Infant and Children Hospital

We were privileged today to see the only Women, Infants, and Children's Hospital today in Mongolia.  It provides the only Intensive Care Unit for babies and children.  The number of patients are often twice the number of beds available.  It was quite an eye opening experience. 



This afternoon we enjoyed a beautiful drive in the country to a National Park where we visited the Chinggis Khan Monument Center.  It is the largest statue in the world of a man seated on a horse.  There was a museum, gift shop, and we got to go out onto the top of the horse for some cool pics!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Tuesday, March 22nd

Today we visited the National Cancer Hospital in Ulaan Bataar. It is a very dated facility going back to the time of the Soviet Empire. Mongolia has had a hard time recovering from the withdrawl of the economic impetus to its economy that existed during that period. Things are beginning to improve, and it appears that there is a political awakening occurring in a better educated and growng middle class. Mongolia has incredible mining riches in coal, copper, gold, and uranium, which are being developed aggressively. It is expected that these resources will provide the funding necessary to moernize the economy, and particularly the healthcare sector. There are many opportunites, however, while this is happening, to respond to current needs.

The most notable issue at the Cancer Hospital is the very high incidence of primary liver cancer due to an epidemic of hepatitis B in the 1950's before the advent of disposable syringes and a complete understanding of transmission of this disease. The infant immunization rate is nearly 100% now, which will take 2 generations to eradiciate maternal-child transmission, in spite of the fact that 2/3ds of the population is either nomadic or living in very remote areas. In association with this, infants and choldren receive all of the current WHO recommended vaccines. The development of primary care services to achieve this level of care has been a focus of the government, and is accomplished by increasing the pay of primary care providers in these locations. An idea that might benefit our system.

Big Sky country in Mongolia




Today was our first official day in Ulan Bator. We took a scenic drive though the rural outskirts of the city. Seemingly wild cows, sheep, horse, and camels wander the countryside. The air was clear and the mountains created a beautiful contrast against the blue sky. We were treated to traditional Mongolian food at a tourist camp. Outside the main lodge, the camp ground was surrounded by "gers" (pronounced somewhat like "gairs" to my Western ears), the traditional round houses of Mongolia. We made a short video to give you perspective on these cozy homes.


Sunday, March 20, 2011

Lion Dance




Here is a little of the entertainment from the beginning of the conference. It was pretty cool to watch!

We were also invited to dinner Sunday night at the District Governor Nominee's house. What a beautiful home and a spectacular dinner with great company! David, you are a wonderful host!

We are also happy to have met and spent some time talking to the GSE outbound team's doctor from Mongolia, Gonzorig. What a nice guy! We are so looking forward to having the outbound team to our district in April.

Monday the 28th.

The last two days have been spent at District Conference, with presentations about RI, represented by RI Director David Liddiatt, local officials, and local officers. The Breakouts were rich in information about club projects, mostly in mainland China, where the need and opportunity are great. We learned more about the Sichuan earthquake, the issue of endemic leprosy, and the continuing needs for healthcare support and for education of young women. The Team made a presentation, based almost entirely on what we have seen and done here, which was well received.

Today we are on to Mongolia, through Seoul. We have met some of the Mongolia Club members and they will be travelling with us.

Friday, March 18, 2011

We are famous!

本澳越國際化負型血需求增三倍 - 新聞 - TDM


Click on this link to watch GSE on the local news in Macau on Sunday March 13 as they helped to promote the 10th annual Rotary Blood Drive!

March 18th

Let me apologize for the delay in posts. We have had some difficulty with internet access for many of us, despite that it is free in many common areas of Macau.

We started the day by getting together in the Rotary's office to work on our presentation for the Rotary District 3450 Conference. We managed to get quite a bit accomplished, which is good considering it it tomorrow! Having time to work on it has been a bit of a challenge.

We had a wonderful dim sum lunch with the Rotary Club of Guia. Another great group of people, many of whom we will see again tomorrow in Hong Kong for the Conference. Just when we thought lunch was over, more food came! We were already full! (Hey, what's another bite?)

We then proceeded to the ferry terminal to head back to Hong Kong. Boy, what a trip that was! We were seated at the front of the ferry and, much to our dismay, the seas were a bit rough. I actually had to hold onto my seat to keep from getting thrown from it at one point. I normally don't get seasick, but I have to admit to grabbing a "barf bag" though I thankfully didn't have to use it. (Note to self, don't overeat on dim sum lunch before embarking on ferry next time!) Maria however, used her skills (or superpowers) to fall asleep!

If anyone out there is wondering if our medical skills are getting rusty - don't question! After our ferry ride and on our way through the MTR station (subway), the man in front of us collapsed at the bottom of the escalator! I was very impressed when Darren and Erin dashed to the man's side and immediately checked on his condition. He was unconscious, but breathing and soon, the MTR personnel arrived with a stretcher. A little shot of adrenaline for those of us who might have been getting sleepy this late in the afternoon.

We have the evening free back at our Hong Kong host families homes. Time to catch up on email, blogs and the presentation.