AMERICARE NEUROSURGERY INTERNATIONAL

Notes from the nonprofit

Americare Neurosurgery International (AMCANI) is a 501.c.3 NGO that has been working in SE Asia since 2005. Our model is to recycle used, but still viable medical equipment (beds, microscopes, EKG machines etc) by taking them to medically underserved communities in the developing world. We learned that equipment is only half the story, and that we also needed to train local health care providers in the use of this equipment and western medical culture where appropriate. Since 2005, we've been refining this model while building a micro-neurosurgical unit at the Department of Neurosurgery, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Hue Vietnam. The University is the principle teaching center for central Vietnam and provides care for the uninsured of the region's approximately 20,000,000 people. We are able track our progress through annual case numbers, types of cases performed and complication rates. We have expanded our serves/program to include the Department of Rehabilitation, Department of Nursing, Division of Vascular Surgery, and Anesthesia. We will be trying to bootstrap a program for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology too later this year. We are also building a surgical epilepsy service, and have completed the training and installation of an outpatient EEG clinic.

We are now expanding our focus to improve general medical care, using the AMCANI model, through an initial partnership with Relief International, in the northwest Rahkine State of Myanmar. Myanmar is emerging from a long period of isolation and is perhaps one of the poorest countries in SE Asia. The Rahkine state in the northwest is in turn, one of the poorest in the country. Healthcare in Myanmar is designed around a tiered system of increasing regionalized medical centers from local 46 bed township hospitals to quandary care centers in Yangon. Tertiary care is provided at that state level hospital; of which there are 5 in Rahkine State. Two have undergone modernization; Sittwe General Hospital in the capital of Sittwe and Thandwe General Hospital. The remaining three lack infrastructure and are generally providing care far below their mission statement. At the base of the tier are the township hospitals which are tasked to provide basic surgical, OBYGYN and medical care. These frontline centers are sadly lacking in the most basic facilitates and it severely impacts the ability of the local health care providers to deliver care. We now have organized a broad rebuilding program, approved by the High Minister of Rahkine, The Ministers of Health, Public Health, Security and the ANP party to rebuild the entire system as well as follow up educations. The total length of the program is five years. For Further information goto:
AMCANI.ORG or FACEBOOK.COM/AMCANI