Surgical Report for just under 20 Paediatric Cancer Patients September – November
Susadey! I’m Tsunoda, a Japanese operating room nurse in Cambodia. In November, the season has shifted from rainy to dry. The mornings are in the low 20s and shift into the 30s as the day goes on. The rain isn’t causing flooding anymore and the sunshine has become more apparent. The day length has shortened and you can feel the arrival of the dry season.
From September to November Japan Heart’s Chief Advisor Dr Yoshioka came to Cambodia for 6 weeks. He was joined by a returning paediatric surgeon and an OBGYN. Over that period 40 operations were performed on children and 108 on adults for a total of 148.
Of the paediatric surgeries, 19 were related to paediatric cancer, which is the highest number of such surgeries we have done in a single surgical mission. During this period, I took part in various cases such as liver cancer, kidney cancer, bone and muscle cancer and bladder cancer while learning a lot. In the paediatric ward, paediatricians and nurses worked diligently to take care of the postoperative patients, especially their respiratory and dialysis management.
For the adults, there were 23 obstetrics and gynaecology related surgeries during the OBGYN’s stay. 7 caesarean sections were performed and 16 cases of gynaecological diseases such as uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts were treated.
From the next room I could hear the cheerful voice of the midwife manager Ms Nishikawa whose team was working on childbirth and after-delivery care 24 hours a day in preparation for births. This time there were many operations that required midwives’ cooperation due to complications after delivery.
Other adults underwent surgery for thyroid disease, hernias, breast cancer and emergency appendicitis. We were at capacity every day, including internal medicine and surgeries and the doctors and nurses were busy caring for the many patients we were receiving.
Surgical missions generate a lot of laundry. Every day the hospital’s cleaners wash folded and dry many loads of washing. Additionally, the food centre’s staff prepared and delivered our meals which meant I was able to finish my food in the limited break time I had. I realised during this time that eating together made the food three times as delicious! There must have been a lot of paperwork too and the admin team worked hard to take care of it. I have the impression that the hospital has never been busier.
In the operating room, the local staff grew more than ever in the last six weeks. During this period, in addition to the 7 new Cambodian staff, one Japanese trainee-nurse joined the team. Two years have passed since Japan Heart Cambodia has been doing paediatric cancer surgery and I can see how we have improved together. This report is getting long so I will write about it next time!
Lastly, in November 4 Japanese long-term nurse trainees and one trainee midwife arrived in Cambodia and joined the team. Now there are nine Japanese trainees working in the wards, the operating room and as midwifes. The hospital has become so lively with even more staff. I would like to create a good environment for Japanese and Cambodian staff to cooperate with each other.
Japan Heart Cambodia Operating Room Nurse Chisato Tsunoda.