Among its commitments on local causes and on water projects in different countries The Rotary Club of Montreal is expanding its implication internationally with several humanitarian missions in podiatry medicine with Podiatrists Without Borders.
Dr Thanh Liem Nguyen, podiatrist, a member of the Rotary Club of Montreal since 2018, has founded Podiatrists Without Borders (PWB), a non-profit organization, in 2012. PWB’s mission is twofold: offer free of charge treatments to impoverished patients living in countries lacking expertise in podiatry medicine and transfer podiatry knowledge to local medical professionals. To achieve these goals in every mission, besides all expenses (flight ticket and transportation, visa, housing and food), the volunteers’ team has to buy and bring medicine (such as anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, antifungals, etc.), medical instruments and material.
Since its foundation, different teams have led more than 17 missions around the world and allowed at least 100 graduated students in the Doctorate in Podiatric Medicine program at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières to participate in various humanitarian missions. In 2016 Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières established an accredited term partnership for students in its doctorate program in Podiatry Medicine when volunteering in Vietnam. Also, since 2019, PWB has a formal agreement with the Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Since it began, PWB organization has treated more than 5,000 patients in six other countries: Bolivia, Cameroon, Guatemala, Peru, Senegal and Togo. In addition, 200 homeless patients were treated in Maison du Père in Montreal during the past three years.
In 2019 alone, Dr Nguyen is leading five missions in three countries: one in Guatemala in May. Two missions in Morocco (Marrakech) in March, with thanks to the Rotary Club of Marrakech Majorelle for its partnership, especially to Mrs. Amal Mahjoubi, president-elect 2020-2021 for her collaboration, hard work and assistance before and during the mission, and Laâyoune in October, and two missions in Vietnam (August and December).
In October 2019, Dr Nguyen organized a multidisciplinary care mission in Laâyoune, Morocco. Twenty-two volunteers from PWB left Montreal for a one-week mission, including 1 podiatrist and 6 students in podiatry medicine, 1 MD, 1 pharmacist, 1 occupational therapist, 1 physical therapist, 1 osteopath, 1 nurse, 2 media volunteers and 7 volunteers for logistic. Over a week, 1513 patients were assessed, evaluated and treated. Among those, 523 patients were treated by podiatry team, 105 patients by rehab team and 885 patients were treated by medical team. Faced with such overwhelming demand, these teams didn’t have enough material to treat all patients who needed it.
In 2020, PWB will schedule three missions. In partnership with two Rotary Clubs in Morocco, Rotary Club Majorelle in Marrakech and Rotary Club Scala in Casablanca. Dr. Nguyen and his team, a total of 16 volunteers, will leave for Casablanca and Marrakech. For this mission we aim to treat at least 1,000 patients. In August, 12 volunteers will leave for Vietnam. Before starting the treatment tour, PWB will dispense a conference to professionals at the Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department of University of medicine and Pharmacy in Ho-Chi-Minh City. Finally, in partnership with Sosthene Ngokila, Ambassador of Gabon to Canada, Dr. Nguyen and another 30 volunteers will undertake their first mission in Gabon, West Africa.
If you are a medical professional and want to help people in need, PWB is looking for volunteers. Also, Rotary Club of Montreal and PWB are seeking overseas Rotary Clubs partners for joined medical missions. For more information and inquiries, please contact Dr Nguyen by email:
liem@podiatremontreal.com
You can also view photos and videos from previous missions on the website
www.apsf.ca or follow our work on Facebook (Podiatrists Without Borders).