We are very pleased to announce that the 20^th Free Surgical Camp at St. Mary’s Mission Hospital, Khammam India will be held from January 9-21, 2017. This year we are delighted to have a wonderful team of doctors, and volunteers traveling from the US who will work closely with the dedicated year-round staff at the hospital. We are happy to have fostered a new relationship with the anesthesiology department at Dartmouth College and are thankful for the continued support from the University of Oregon.

We lost one of our most dedicated leaders and surgeons, Dr. Joe Bardenheier close to two years ago. His long-standing friend and regular participant, Dr. Bob Dwyer, has decided to retire from mission work. But the energy for the Free Surgical Camp mission continues with the dedication of returning members and new ones, each carrying a passion for helping the very poorest of the poor in South East India. We have a team of 4 anesthesiologists (Dartmouth and Univ of Oregon) and two surgeons attending from the US, nurses, EMTs, and half a dozen non-medical volunteers from the USA. In Khammam, we have our two Indian doctors specializing in OB and a nursing staff of 15 that are full-time at the hospital. Travel has been booked, surgical supplies are being gathered and visas are at the ready for the long flights East.

In addition to the two-week Free Surgical Camp, members of FOCI (Friends of Christ India) the US-based non-profit organization, including our founder, Dr. George Longstreth, Joe Bardenheier IV and David and Alida Rowe work closely with and provide guidance and funding throughout the year for the operation of St. Mary’s Mission Hospital. With a full and part-time staff of 6 physicians and a nursing school running a 6-month “health care worker” training program for classes of 15 young women, along with a full-time Hospital Administrator, we are proud to report that they examine close to 600 patients and conduct on average 20 operations monthly over the last several in 2016.

Through FOCI, you, our loyal donors, have contributed funds for the improvement of the hospital facilities to make it a safer and more enjoyable place for its staff and its patients both during the Free Surgical Camp and the entire year. Such recent improvements include the purchase of new sterilization autoclaves, a new cautery machine, bore well motors, post op mattresses, road and campus signage, maternity ward upgrades, a new generator, new doctor/patient transport vehicle, patient and family covered canteen, walkway repairs and garden and grass landscaping.

This past summer our resident Ob-Gyn specialist, Dr. Sulochana, and Hospital Administrator, John Franklin, came to us with the idea of conducting a one-week Indian-led Free Surgical Camp held in August 2016. They were able to leverage volunteer doctors from local Indian hospitals to come on to the St. Mary’s campus to work along-side our staff to provide free examinations and operations. Together they completed 75 major and minor operations. We were very happy to support this effort financially and delighted with its success.

Clearly, Dr. George Longstreth’ s vision, that once was simply to provide surgical services over two weeks to as many people as one surgeon could handle in an ancient run down operating room under a single light bulb and no air conditioning 20 years ago, has expanded into something much greater. While the number of hands that cut and sew, bandage and embrace has expanded to what last year’s Camp resulted in 1,000 patient examinations and 250 operations in this same two-week period,

the demand has only expanded. The patients just keep coming and the very poor of this region need all the help that we can offer.

We are very proud of the progress that we have been able to support: a better and safer hospital and clinic facilities, a full-time medical staff, a full-time hospital administration, rural village medical outreach programs, community marketing efforts and of course the US and Indian-led Free Surgical Camps. The Hospital has two well equipped, modern operating rooms with 3 tables. It also has a newly constructed post op ward with 18 beds and an additional older but capable post op with 30 beds. A clinic, pharmacy, Xray and other sufficient lab equipment. With the efforts and dedication of our good friend and partner, Bishop Prasada Rao and his Medical Committee, along with the continued support of Khammam based CSU (Christian Service Unit) with whom FOCI works hand in hand with, we hope to continue the progress we have made. It is by no means easy, there are cultural and political challenges that at times are very confusing, frustrating and difficult to understand for Americans. However, we have always made it clear that our support, particularly financial, will only continue if we are comfortable that the funds are being put to good use and progress, however slow, is being made.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the very generous support of you, our friends and benefactors. Your belief that helping the poorest of the poor with life-changing medical care is truly an act of God. While there are people in need all over the world, we believe that our mission in India is one of the most efficient and impactful uses of your funds that is available anywhere. The cost of a major operation during one of our Free Surgical Camps continues to be less than $100. We trust that you are able to continue to support our efforts, and we thank you for the love that you extend to the people of India.

DONTE TODAY

Sincerely,
Joe Bardenheier IV
FSC Board Member and General Manager

Dr. George Longstreth
FSC Founding Board Member