Saint Lucia Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs has reported an ‘overwhelming response’ by the public to a United States Military Medical Mission’s free surgical and dental procedures and medication offer.
In a statement Wednesday, the Ministry announced that the pre-registration process for the various services has ended.
And Ministry officials are finalising the schedules.
The medical mission is due in Saint Lucia from Wednesday, March 8, to Wednesday, March 22, 2023.
The US team will provide free minor surgical and dental procedures and medication to Saint Lucian nationals in need.
The minor surgical procedures available include the removal of cysts and masses, hernia repair, other minor surgical interventions, and laparoscopic procedures at the OKEU Hospital.
According to the Ministry of Health, dental services will include extractions, fillings, caries stabilisation, dental hygiene-related services, and intraoperative extractions.
These procedures will be carried out during at the La Clery Wellness Center from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm daily.
Other activities will include Emergency Medicine Training, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Advanced Trauma Life Support training and laparoscopy training.
“All visiting medical staff participating in the mission have been vetted as per legal requirements by the respective Medical and Dental, Pharmacy, Nursing and Allied Health Councils. As we have done with other visiting health missions, our national health practitioners will be working alongside the visiting volunteers,” the Health Ministry statement disclosed.
The statement said there would be a patient registry, and all cases would be referred to local health professionals as necessary for follow-up to ensure continuity.
The dental team is contacting all persons pre-screened to confirm the date and time of their procedures.
On the other hand, the OKEU Hospital surgical team is managing the schedules of the patients registered for surgical procedures.
For further information on this mission, interested individuals can contact the Community Wellness Centres or the Office of the Chief Medical Officer at 468-5386 or the Bureau of Health Education at 468-5349.
