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Marc J. Moreau, M.D., FRCSC
Barb Moreau
Edmonton, AB CAMTA, the Canadian Association of Medical Teams Abroad, is a group of medical and lay individuals dedicated to helping underprivileged people suffering from orthopaedic problems in Ecuador by performing surgical procedures and by sharing with and teaching the local medical community, new ways of looking at old problems. Our team includes both paediatric and adult orthopaedic surgeons, anesthetists, a family practice doctor, operating, recovery room and ward nurses, a physiotherapist, an anesthetic technician, lay people and students, all of whom are vital components of the project.
 | | Dr. Jim Mahood & Dr. Greg O’Connor | Most of the team has traveled and worked together for the past four years. In 200l, we became a Registered Society in Alberta and gained charitable status with Revenue Canada. Each year, we raise funds to cover a budget of $100,000. We have received many kind contributions of both goods and services, and donations from $10 up to $35,000. We receive our funds from individuals, church and service groups such as Rotary Club, as well as various businesses. Our biggest contributor over the past two years has been TransCanada Pipelines Ltd.
The majority of the group has participated in three medical expeditions to Cuenca and one to Quito, Ecuador. We will return to Quito in January 2004. Quito is the capital of Ecuador, a small country situated on the western coast of South America, nestled between Columbia to the north and Peru to the south and east. This little country has it all - the majestic Andes, a dramatic coastline and a steaming rain forest. Quito, known as the "City of Eternal Spring", sits at the foot of Mount Pichincha and has a population of 1.5 million. At an elevation of 9500 feet above sea level, Quito is the second highest city in South America, with the equator fourteen miles to the south of it. This unique city meanders through a valley of snow-capped mountains and volcanoes; it is only ten kilometers wide but fifty kilometers long!
 | | Dr. John McIvor posing with a little patient | In 1978, UNESCO declared old town Quito to be a World Cultural Heritage site. The many squares throughout the old part of the city are full of history and colonial charm. There are many colorful outdoor markets throughout the city and as well as being thriving sites of commerce, they provide the perfect backdrop to enjoy the beautiful Ecuadorian people as they go about their lives, many of them still dressed in their native costume. Steep narrow streets, many of them still cobble-stoned, characterize this delightful part of the city. Quito is 90% Roman Catholic and boasts no less than 86 churches! Some of the city's churches were built on holy Incan sites and date back to the 15th Century.
There are 12 million people in Ecuador. Ninety percent of that population has minimal access to proper orthopaedic care. Every thousandth child in the world is born with a clubfoot; in Ecuador the majority of these children are left insufficiently treated or even untreated. Teaching the local medical community how to provide early care for this condition gives the children the chance to lead normal and productive lives. Ecuador has a particularly high incidence of hip dysplasia, a condition that cripples those afflicted by the age of 30 to 40. Employment becomes impossible for those unable to move about due to their physical handicaps and families suffer the consequences. Giving these people a new artificial hip gives them a new life and with that the return of their dignity.
 | | Dr. Marc Moreau posing with a patient | In January 2003 the CAMTA team performed 32 challenging orthopaedic cases on 14 children and 18 adults between the ages of five months and 81 years. The recovery time of our Ecuadorian patients continues to amaze us. Many of the adults were up at the bedside and even taking a couple of steps the very day of their surgery; most of them were discharged on day three or four. The children who had their clubfeet repaired usually went home the day after their surgery.
Each of our patients had their own unique story. Fourteen-year-old Nixon required a triple arthrodesis to fix his untreated clubfoot. Although his biggest concern was how soon it would be before he could get out and kick around the new soccer ball that CAMTA gave to each paediatric patient, his mother's biggest concern was of a far more serious nature. She was afraid that the people whose laundry she washed would have found someone else to do her job in her absence. She was also concerned about the time Nixon would be off of his feet and unable to work at his part-time job (Nixon had quit school because of the merciless teasing that he received due to his clubfoot and sold penny candy on city buses).
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Back Row (Left to Right): Dr. Doris Kent, Karen Tailleur, Dr. Boris Petriw, Dr. Marc Moreau, Dr. John McIvor, Dr. Greg O’Connor, Albert Tardif, Cecilia Tardif, Dr. Jim Moir, Dr. Jim Mahood, Sheila Jensen
Middle Row (Left to Right): Dr. John Lilley, Carol Maynard, Bev Bourdin, Tessie Poong, Blair Gallant, Janice Hengsbach, Barb Flis, Elaine Hardy-Miller
Front Row (Left to Right): Len Bourdin, Eileen Guilfoyle, Barb Moreau, Peggy Maksymic, Francie Martin, Mark Phillips | Daniel, 17, had a previously inserted plate removed, but also needed to have a total hip replacement. Daniel had this to say: "I have always felt so badly about my life and that my family couldn't afford to have the surgery that I needed. Now I feel so special because I was chosen to be helped".
Maria lived on a farm with her husband and three children. She had been using crutches for five years prior to becoming bed-ridden two years ago. "Because we have no money for operations, I was waiting in the bed to die". Fermin lived in the Amazon jungle with his wife and three children; he used to be a farmer. Five years ago he sold his land and borrowed money from his village to pay for a $7,000 total hip operation. Fermin had his second total hip performed by the CAMTA team at no cost to his family. Fermin cried as he told me: "I only want to support my wife and children, they are all suffering because of my problems. Your team has given me the chance to look after them again".
Jose presented with an extremely arthritic hip that showed some collapse of the femoral head. Intraoperatively, a tremendous amount of bone destruction of the acetabulum was found and a large abscess anteriorly in the psoas muscle area was drained. A Girdlestone procedure was performed. The postoperative cultures confirmed the presence of tuberculosis, a reminder to us that we were working in the developing world!
It is heart-warming to talk with patients from previous years and hear how their lives have changed in positive ways since their surgeries. It is heart-wrenching to see the many that are in need of help and to know that we do not have the time or the resources to help all of them. Some of the people who we saw this year and were unable to care for are already on our list for next year's clinic.
In preparation for next year's trip, the CAMTA team is currently acquiring supplies and soliciting donations. If you are interested in learning more about this project, please contact Dr. Marc J. Moreau at
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, Dr. Gregory J. O'Connor at
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, Dr. John Lilley at
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, Dr. John B. McIvor at
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, or Dr. James K. Mahood at
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