IVUmed Traveling Resident Scholar Report
Christopher Doiron, MD
Queen’s Urology, Kingston, Ontario, CA
Valladolid, Mexico: November 5-12, 2016
Mentor: Douglas Whittemore, MD
Sponsor: Northeastern Section of the American Urological Association
Dr. Doiron reported, “Through discussions with our hosts at San Lucas, I learned that Mexico has a two-tier medical system. A public system is supposedly available to all those who cannot afford to pay for care in the private system, while specialists often crossover and work in both systems. However, there is concern that while working in the public system, specialists funnel patients into their private practices, where they are remunerated better. Patients required to receive their care in the public system are reportedly left behind, often receiving sub-standard care, sometimes never receiving intervention for their illness.
Our day was booked full with a few transurethral cases. My staff mentor and I went to another storage area and collected our transurethral set. I was again impressed with the amount of equipment they had on hand and the immaculate records they kept. Some of it was perhaps a bit outdated, but we had little trouble finding a set we were happy with. We sterilized it and were ready to get to work.
Our cases went smoothly that day. I cannot say that there were not problems. But this is global surgery – challenges are an anticipated part of the experience and instead of getting frustrated with the problems that arose, we worked together as a group to find solutions. And at the end of the day, our patients received high quality care that was safe, effective, and I think will experience outcomes similar to those we provide our patients with in our high-income, resource-rich settings.
I cannot thank the Northeastern Section of the AUA enough for their generous financial support and congratulate them on endorsing a global surgical experience for urology residents. Global surgery remains an actively expanding field and enthusiasm for the opportunities to participate abound, particularly amongst our trainees. IVUmed should be congratulated on their continued commitment to providing valuable care to those who need it most, for including residents in their work and their mantra of ‘Teach One, Reach Many’ remains an important consideration as we forge ahead, seeking ways to collaborate with those less fortunate.”