Kingstown, St. Vincent & the Grenadines – World Pediatrics (formerly known as World Pediatric Project) has
been on a roll since the current year started. The organization has hosted eight mission teams in St. Vincent and the
Grenadines in the past four months. The most recent teams on the island were the Physical Therapy and Laparoscopic
teams both coming the week of April 6th -12th 2024.
The Physical Therapy team, which was led by Physical Therapist, Lisa Bebko, has noted significant progress in a number of the children that attend and have been following up with this mission. On the team with Lisa was Occupational Therapist, Jessica Lynn, specializes in assisting people in being able to live independently. This is especially for children with disabilities (mental, physical, genetic, etc.), or caused by an injury or illness. Combined, the team saw 17 children at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (“MCMH”) PT Department on April 10th and 11thAs always, the ladies expressed their unwavering enthusiasm to reunite with the children and monitor their progress. Assisting them was local Physical Therapist, Janelle Ballah. Mrs. Ballah told World Pediatrics in a short
interview after the mission “The mission was a small but successful one. We are always grateful to Lisa Bebko for her expert help in the physiotherapy assessment and treatment of our children with neurological issues. We are alsograteful for the contribution of Jessica Lynn as there are no locally trained occupational therapists currently in St.
Vincent.” She continued by expressing how much the local Physical Therapy department has learned and increased
its skills over the years. “We hope to continue this partnership for a long time as we strive to improve the health
and well-being of our little ones” Mrs. Ballah concluded.
The Laparoscopic team that came to SVG served as a capacity-building training team with the overall goal of bettering the quality of surgical services offered in St. Vincent and the Eastern Caribbean. From Sunday, April 7th
2024, Dr. David Lanning, Dr. Claudio Oiticica, and their team commenced training with 5 local general surgeons and 5 regional general surgeons from St. Lucia, Dominica, Antigua, and St. Kitts as well as six OR nurses at the
MCMH. They completed nine successful surgeries on all Vincentian children, who were able to be discharged after 24 hours. Dr. Jasmine Davy-Ellis, local General surgeon, and partner pediatrician at World Pediatrics, was behind a lot of the planning and coordination for this mission. She said, “The idea of these training sessions is to amplify the services that are offered at the MCMH and to expand the capacity of surgeons throughout the Caribbean.” She
continued, “The sessions will allow us to move away from conventional surgeries and focus more on laparoscopic
ones.” Some of the advantages of laparoscopic surgeries that Dr. Ellis noted were faster healing time, better pain management, fewer hospital stays, and is more aesthetically pleasing due to smaller incisions being made. She ended by thanking the Ministry of Health, Wellness, and the Environment for their support on these missions and a
further thank you to the Mustique Charitable Foundation for sponsoring the team and hopes for more laparoscopic surgeries being offered to locals by the end of the year.
Both Physical Therapy and Laparoscopic Training teams were sponsored by the Mustique Charitable Foundation
and World Pediatrics graciously extends their warmest gratitude for their continued support.
Persons interested in supporting the work of World Pediatrics can contact the local office at 784-451-2989. We continue to prioritize the medical needs of our children and enhance the lives of their families, ensuring no child is
left behind. The work of World Pediatrics and its impact can be followed at www.worldpediatrics.org.
