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Three Costa Rican doctors will be part of the USNS Comfort crew By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The hospital ship USNS Comfort starts another humanitarian mission through Central America, the Caribbean, and South America this week. Costa Rica is one of the countries that this ship will visit. It will be in the port of Puntarenas for the next few days. During this humanitarian mission three Costa Ricans will be part of the crew: Dr. Pablo Rodríguez Chaves, Dr. Carolina Leal Zúñiga, and the emergency medical specialist Gina Alejandra Víquez Rojas. The U.S. Navy hospital begins a five-month medical assistance mission as a result of the humanitarian crisis created by the ongoing political and economic instability in Venezuela. Comfort medical teams will be in Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago for working port visits. "This deployment responds directly to the man-made crisis Maduro's regime has created," said U.S. Navy Adm. Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command, who will oversee the deployment. "Comfort medical teams will be working alongside host nation medical professionals who are absorbing thousands of Venezuelan migrants and refugees. The Venezuelan people are desperately fleeing their homeland for the hope of a better way of life. We are committed to finding ways to support the Venezuelan people and our regional partners who share the goal of seeing a legitimate, democratic government reinstated in Venezuela." Last year, from October to December 2018, Comfort completed its sixth deployment, 11weeks for medical support to Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Honduras, helping more than 26,700 patients in need, and performing 599 on board surgeries. This marks the seventh hospital ship deployment to the region since 2007. The embarked medical teams will provide care on board and at the land-based medical sites, helping to ease pressure on national medical systems, caused in part by an increase in cross-border migration. As with the last deployment, the plan is to embark medical professionals from partner nations to join in the effort to provide medical care to patients. The deployment reflects the United States' enduring promise of friendship, partnership, and solidarity with the Americas. On Oct. 2018, as A.M. Costa Rica reported, two Costa Rican doctors were part of the USNS Comfort Team. Doctors Albert Brown and Maria Cecilia Barrantes, who are experienced in coordinating and management of emergency situations and disasters are currently part of the Social Security Emergency Medical Team. Social Security confirmed that the doctors "joined the crew of the USNS Comfort of the U.S. Navy and provided health care in Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Honduras between the months of October and December." Roberto Cervantes Barrantes, medical manager of Social Security, said that the Costa Rican specialists provide humanitarian assistance, including medical, surgical, dental, and optometry services in each of the destination countries. “I have confirmed that the United States Navy (USS Iwo Jima in Limón in 2010 and the USNS Comfort in Puntarenas in 2011), which could facilitate future missions of these vessels on any of the two coasts of our country. " Dr. Maria Cecilia Barrantes is an epidemiologist and in charge of the Committee of Infections Associated with Health Care at the Manuel Sanabria Hospital in Puntarenas. She is an active collaborator of the Emergency and Disaster Assistance Center and part of the core group of the Mobile Medical Unit, where she is responsible for developing the surgical component. Dr. Brown is an emergency medicine specialist and works as head of the emergency services at Tony Facio Castro Hospital. He is also the coordinator of the Regional Emergency Committee of the Regional Directorate of Health Services Huetar Atlantica. The USNS Comfort is one of two Mercy-class hospital ships owned by the United States Navy and provides services around the Atlantic Ocean. The USNS Comfort has, among other facilities, 12 operating rooms and 1000 beds for patients: 80 intensive care beds, 20 recovery beds, 280 intermediate care beds, 120 light care beds, and 500 limited care beds. The ship also has a radiology service, clinical laboratory, pharmacy, physical therapy service, burn unit, sterilization center, medical imaging, dental services, two oxygen-producing plants, laundry, and four distillation plants to make drinking water from seawater. More information on U.S. Southern Command can be reached at: southcom.mil ---------------- Do you know of any community where specialists are needed to provide more medical care? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com |
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