A group of amazing people has been in northern Argentina in the province of JUJUY the last weekend. During 3 days these colleagues visited three small towns and attended a total number of 950 patients.
Link to the news:
http://www.eltribuno.info/atencion-chagasicos-n458064
The group is under the leading advice and field work of the Cardiology specialists: Dr. Paul Flores, Dr. Guillermo Schmitt, Dr. Miguel Amor and Dr. Daniel O. Hernandez, Head of department in Internal Medicine in the Nordeast National University's Medical School.
This initiative is reconized by the Argentinian Federation of Cardiology.
http://www.fac.org.ar/index.php
The work i is focused not only in assistance to the people and medical studies but also on talks to the community for prevention.
It's not possible for many people in these rural areas to displace by themselves to the hospital. The Chagas Initiative in the Americas tries to acquire means and logistics to reach this people and to bring healthcare for fighting a disease that have a big burden in the quality of life. It shortens life expectancy and limits the capacity to work and the productivity of whole communities which already are in low socioeconomic status conditions.
We come to the people
Thanks a lot for the support to all the donors and collaborators to this initiative. Our accomplishment could not be possible without your help.
LETTER TO COLLEAGUES AND PUBLIC:
My name is Dr. Daniel O. Hernandez.
I’ve got my degree in medicine in December 1995, at the
Faculty of Medicine of the Nordeast
National University UNNE.
I made the residence program in Cardiology 1997, at the Department
of Cardiology, General San Martin Teaching Hospital in Corrientes, Argentina.
Since June 1 of that year until May 31, 2001, I was Chief Resident, and
afterwards Instructor of residence, through May 2002.
Since 2000, I am a Professor of the Faculty of Medicine
UNNE.
2000-2003: Chairman of Internal Medicine Department at the
Nordeast National University.
2003 - 2012: Head of department of the VI Catedra of
Internal Medicine.
Member of the Society of Cardiology of Corrientes, Argentinian
Society of Cardiology, and currently Vice President Of the Chagas Committee in
the Argentinian Federation of Cardiology
In Chagas research, we got special Mentions and Awards:
With a group of doctors, nurses and students of the Nordeast
School of Medicine, we obtained in 2010, two special mentions in the Argentine
Congress of Cardiology
In 2011: the Scientific Committee of the Argentine Congress
of Cardiology gave 1st prize On Best Basic Research
In 2012: the South American Congress of Cardiology in the City
of Asuncion Paraguay, The scientific Committee gave the prize as the
presentation in the South American Congress of Cardiology.
We have already attended to 2,300 patients in 15 villages of
Interior the province of Chaco, also in
two Locations in the provinces of Formosa and 3 villages in the province
of Santiago del Estero in the Northern
region of Argentina.
At present, in the Faculty of Medicine in the city of
Corrientes, northern Argentina, our Clinic runs a medical consult for Patients
with Chagas-Mazza disease, and we
receive patients from throughout the province of Corrientes, Formosa, and even
North of the province of Santa Fe. We have already attended more than 300 patients in two years since we
opened.
We have began a
Research protocol in our Chagas Disease Commitee:
This study protocol consist of
-IDENTIFICATION OF CLINICAL PROGNOSTIC MARKERS AND ANTIBODIES
IN CHAGAS DISEASE
-ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC AND ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC MARKERS
-STUDY OF ANTIMUSCARINIC ANTIBODIES IN PATIENTS WITH CRONIC
CHAGAS DISEASE IN RURAL AND URBAN LOCATIONS OF NORTHERN ARGENTINA.
This study is being carried out with a great deal of
sacrifice, with a low budget. We use our own electrocardiography machines and
we apport our personal echonomical resources to afford this initiative.
We have already included 1100 patients with Chagas disease
to our study, from 7 locations in the Provences
of Jujuy and Formosa. Everything was done with
our limited resources:
- only 7 Holter
machines
- 2 echocardiography machines (brought by two colleagues, specialists
in cardiology from the city of Buenos Aires -Capitol of the country- that come to
our expeditions in the north of Argentina)
-and 5 electrocardiography machines.
Now at this point we decided to start making Holter
registers (24 hours electrocardiograms) to all patients who require it. In
order to do that, we have to move so many miles to come to the remote and
abandoned communities in rural areas of Argentina and to Stay several days
doing the recordig and after that return to our homes.
All entities, corporations, hospitals, municipalities,
counties and colleagues who are willing and want to participate by any means with
our initiative shall be welcome.
Those who are able and willing to donate materials or
economic founding for the realization of this protocol for the care of patients
who have virtually no social security coverage and can not afford an elecrocardogram,
Holter or an echocardiography, will receive the best of our gratefullness, and
we are commited to report on the overviews of the results of our work.
All cardiologists, biochemists, general practitioners and
medical students receive no charge or any remuneration for this study.
thank you very much for your support:
Dr Daniel Osvaldo Hernandez
H. D. Internal Medicine Education Department
Nordeast National University School of Medicine
drdanhernandez@hotmail.com
Mariano Moreno 1240
Corrientes - República Argentina - CP: 3400
Teléfonos: (54) 379-4423155/4422290
Fax: (54) 379-4425508
Correo: info@med.unne.edu.ar
