Richard Kaul, MD, president of New Jersey Spine & Rehabilitation in Pompton Lakes, recently returned to the Untied States after making his fourth medical mission trip to the Congo as part of the Spine Project Africa. Dr. Kaul established The Spine Project Africa to provide spine care for the underserved population in the Congo and promote education about spinal pathology among local physicians.
Dr. Kaul and his surgical assistant, John Woods, were able to operate on 17 cases during this past trip, and saw another 150 patients in the clinic. "One thing that is very striking about the patients we see in the Congo is the degree of pathology because they don't have access to healthcare," says Dr. Kaul. "Their conditions have significantly deteriorated."
Expected pathology
Access to healthcare remains a huge issue in the Congo, so many patients suffer from very advanced spinal disorders and conditions that have been nearly eradicated in the western world — such as spinal tuberculosis. Many of the Congolese people have worked hard labor jobs for many years and developed injuries or deformities as a result.
The country also harbors refugees from the conflicts in Rwanda, and has been wracked with war and other conflicts for the past several years. Some patients present with traumatic injuries as a result of these conflicts.
"If I had to pick one part of the world where medical help is needed most, it would probably be the Congo," says Dr. Kaul. "They are at the bottom of United Nations rankings for their standard of living and they don't have any healthcare provisions. The physicians and medical students there don't have access to training in spinal pathology. That's why we feel the Congo is deserving of the efforts at this time."
Physician education
In addition to treating patients with complex spinal pathology, an important aspect of The Spine Project Africa is educating local healthcare providers so they can treat patients on their own. While in the Congo, specialists scrub into the procedures and work with Dr. Kaul and John Woods to learn their methods. Dr. Kaul also hopes to bring them to the United States for a fellowship at some point in the future.
"I really want to develop a three month fellowship program that would bring the physicians over to the United States to study," says Dr. Kaul. "That kind if educational program develops the connection between what we do here and what they do there. These guys handle orthopedic injuries but they have no training or expertise in diagnosing or treating spinal conditions or injury."
For now, the team makes due with conference calls every four weeks to discuss their cases.
Next Trip
Dr. Kaul and others participating in The Spine Project Africa will be taking their next trip to the Congo in September 2012. The trip will include surgeons, nurses and scrub technicians who have gone before — but the team is also looking to expand. The group hopes to raise $100,000 for transportation and materials associated with the trip.
"We would like to procure enough funding and have continuous funding that will allow us to pay for materials to be sent to the Congo on a regular basis," says Dr. Kaul. "In 2013, we are looking to raise closer to $500,000 so we can send a team out to the Congo ideally every three months."
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Dr. Kaul and his surgical assistant, John Woods, were able to operate on 17 cases during this past trip, and saw another 150 patients in the clinic. "One thing that is very striking about the patients we see in the Congo is the degree of pathology because they don't have access to healthcare," says Dr. Kaul. "Their conditions have significantly deteriorated."
Expected pathology
Access to healthcare remains a huge issue in the Congo, so many patients suffer from very advanced spinal disorders and conditions that have been nearly eradicated in the western world — such as spinal tuberculosis. Many of the Congolese people have worked hard labor jobs for many years and developed injuries or deformities as a result.
The country also harbors refugees from the conflicts in Rwanda, and has been wracked with war and other conflicts for the past several years. Some patients present with traumatic injuries as a result of these conflicts.
"If I had to pick one part of the world where medical help is needed most, it would probably be the Congo," says Dr. Kaul. "They are at the bottom of United Nations rankings for their standard of living and they don't have any healthcare provisions. The physicians and medical students there don't have access to training in spinal pathology. That's why we feel the Congo is deserving of the efforts at this time."
Physician education
In addition to treating patients with complex spinal pathology, an important aspect of The Spine Project Africa is educating local healthcare providers so they can treat patients on their own. While in the Congo, specialists scrub into the procedures and work with Dr. Kaul and John Woods to learn their methods. Dr. Kaul also hopes to bring them to the United States for a fellowship at some point in the future.
"I really want to develop a three month fellowship program that would bring the physicians over to the United States to study," says Dr. Kaul. "That kind if educational program develops the connection between what we do here and what they do there. These guys handle orthopedic injuries but they have no training or expertise in diagnosing or treating spinal conditions or injury."
For now, the team makes due with conference calls every four weeks to discuss their cases.
Next Trip
Dr. Kaul and others participating in The Spine Project Africa will be taking their next trip to the Congo in September 2012. The trip will include surgeons, nurses and scrub technicians who have gone before — but the team is also looking to expand. The group hopes to raise $100,000 for transportation and materials associated with the trip.
"We would like to procure enough funding and have continuous funding that will allow us to pay for materials to be sent to the Congo on a regular basis," says Dr. Kaul. "In 2013, we are looking to raise closer to $500,000 so we can send a team out to the Congo ideally every three months."
More Articles on Spine Surgeons:
5 Ways Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Can Increase Profitability
Overcoming Barriers: 5 Best Practices for Beginning Minimally Invasive Spine Care
What Percentage of Spine Surgeries Could be Performed in ASCs? 7 Surgeons Respond