JERSEY’S newly-appointed medical director for health and care travelled to Vietnam at the end of last year to perform hip and knee surgery on locals as part of a voluntary project.
Simon West, an orthopaedic surgeon, joined 88 other medical professionals and completed a combined total of 58 surgeries on local Vietnamese patients.
Operation Walk Ireland, which organised the charity trip, seeks to perform hip and knee replacements for patients who would otherwise not have access to this life-changing surgery.
Over the past decade, Mr West has completed four missions to Hanoi, Vietnam, with all missions entirely funded by participants, including preparing and gathering the resources and materials needed to perform the surgeries, as well as taking all necessary staff and equipment to Hanoi, with the implants usually donated by an orthopaedic company.
He said: “After you’ve done one mission, you’re kind of hooked!”
He highlighted the strength and development of the relationship between the organisation and the hospital over the past few years, stating: “We’ve built up [the relationship] with patients and with the population in Hanoi over the past few years.”
Mr West shared his desire for undertaking multiple missions, stating: “I’ve always tried to undertake some form of charity work throughout my professional adult career. However, it’s probably not for everybody.”
That said, this year, he persuaded his wife, a former orthopaedic nurse, to join him on his most recent mission.
The intense surgical schedule – sometimes performing up to five complex surgeries a day – is followed by a “patient parade” and gala dinner on the Friday evening, which is organised by the host city. The patient parade includes all the volunteers lining up and the surgical patients and staff giving speeches as a way to give thanks to the volunteers for donating their time and expertise.
