Transplanting knowledge in the Philippines

 

 

Peter Bretan performs a transplant surgery with Philippine surgeon Ernesto Gerial. The Rotary Club of Novato, California, USA, carries out annual medical missions to the Philippines, teaching local doctors and nurses minimally invasive techniques for transplant. Photo by Lisa Fish

I n 2004, Peter Bretan, a member of the Rotary Club of Novato, California, USA, performed the Philippines’ first laparoscopic kidney removal.

Since then, the club’s LifePlant International project has carried out annual missions to the country. A transplant mission is a huge undertaking, notes Bretan.

With some types of medical projects, volunteers can bring the whole operating room with them, he says, but “here, I have to rely on the network in the country. The political side of things is a necessary aspect of getting this done, and Rotary is the only thing, as far as I’m concerned, that has the capability of bridging those gaps.”

Laparoscopic surgery means less time spent recovering, which increases the donor pool because people can go back to work quickly, Bretan says.

The kidney transplants are vital – “If they don’t get a transplant, many people can’t afford dialysis, and they will die” – but they’re only part of the story. Teaching local doctors and nurses the minimally invasive technique is just as important.

“Dr. Gerial has surpassed our current practices here in the U.S. and is now one of the foremost laparoscopic surgeons in Asia,” Bretan says.

By the numbers

• 14 -- Number of LifePlant kidney transplants (all successful)
• 4 -- Weeks of recovery time for donors with laparoscopic kidney removal
• 3 -- Months of recovery time for donors with traditional kidney removal
• 7,500 -- Cost, in U.S. dollars, of one LifePlant kidney transplant
• 11 --Number of LifePlant-trained doctors and surgeons who are now Rotarians