TRAVELS AROUND THE WORLD so that they can have our ongoing support . More and more medical mission organizations are transforming into this model so that these communities can grow and , hopefully , become self-sustaining .
Although each trip is different , each medical mission refreshes me as a physician . The mission teams are with like-minded individuals , and our end goal is the same - to simply go there , work hard and help . There are no insurance companies , no prior authorizations , no non-clinical draining demands . The people , patients and local health care workers are truly grateful . They say , “ Thank you .” They hug you . Each trip is a reminder of why I pursued medicine in the first place . I come back ready and rejuvenated to jump back into the jungle of the American health care system .
( continued from page 11 ) powerful click clack of her flip flops as she walked through the hallways . That summer continues to inspire me to see the world through medicine and the desire to help people , not just in the U . S ., but all over the world .
My next medical mission wouldn ’ t be until the winter of my senior year of medical school . I still wasn ’ t a doctor . I had read about this train , The Lifeline Express , that travels through villages in India , and surgeons perform cataract surgeries , restoring vision to hundreds of people . I had applied to ophthalmology residency but was still awaiting Match Day . I convinced my father , an ophthalmologist , to volunteer , so my brother and I could tag along . That winter break , we traveled to Madhya Pradesh and worked on that train for three days . Rishi and I helped prepare the patients , and my father would do the surgeries . These patients had very dense cataracts and were smiling from ear to ear when the bandages were removed with their newfound vision . I will always cherish this trip as I witnessed for the first time my father in action and the fruits of his labor . Luckily , I matched into ophthalmology .
My next seven medical missions were as an actual doctor , including trips to Panama , St . Lucia , El Salvador , the Dominican Republic , twice to the teaching hospital in Kumasi , Ghana and once again , to India . Each trip was very different and rewarding in its own way . In general , there are two types of medical missions . One type of mission is where you go in , do the actual work on as many patients as possible , and leave , not knowing what will happen to those patients . The second , which can be more impactful , is working with the local physicians . We work alongside the physicians in the clinic and in the operating room educating , training and creating a relationship
Medical Missions to Panama City , Panama and Jodhpur , India were sponsored by Surgical Eye Expedition International . Trips to St . Lucia and El Salvador were with World Eye Mission and the Dominican Republic was through Island Impact . The two trips to Kumasi , Ghana were with the local teaching hospital through the University of Utah ’ s International Outreach Program . The people at each of these organizations are so compassionate and persevering . I feel privileged to have worked with each one of them .
Dr . Gupta is an ophthalmologist at Kumar Eye Institute specializing in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus . She also serves as the KMA physician representative of the Advisory Council for Medical Assistance to the Department of Medicaid Services .
12 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE