Specialist was invited by the Rotary Club of Guatemala
By: Claudia Munaiz
Invited by the Rotary Club of Guatemala, Alejandro Badia, an orthopedic surgeon, visited Guatemala to present his method and evaluate patients. In November, he will operate on low-income people with arm and hand problems.
“There are people who spend years with hand pain, without knowing what it is, and in reality, they can be cured with a simple operation,” stated Badia.
This is the case of Ligia de Toledo, 47, who spent 16 years with tendonitis and a cyst in her right hand.
Just last Thursday, the doctor injected her with a corticosteroid (anti-inflammatory) that acts on the tendons. “That will allow mobility of the hand. In 80 percent of cases, the patient responds; if not, we have to intervene,” said the expert.
De Toledo confessed to being nervous, but more than for the intervention, for “having spent so much time thinking there was no solution.”
At the first symptom
“Pain or numbness in the hands, pain in the wrist, elbow or shoulder, an accident that continues to cause discomfort?”, are some of the questions that arise to request this type of help.
According to the specialist, the most common syndrome is carpal tunnel, which is a problem of nerve compression in the extremity. “It is not a circulation problem, as people tend to believe, and it affects women more,” explained Badia.
Spirit of service
The specialist will return to the country in November to participate in a medical mission for children and adults, thanks to the mediation of the Rotary Club.
“We are here to provide a service to the community,” commented Alberto de Aragón, former president of that entity.
Help for children
Cuban Alejandro Badia practices his specialty at the Miami Hand Center, USA. He has the website: www.drbadia.com
From November 3 to 11, the medical missions will be free in Guatemala to treat low-income children and adults.
Those interested in participating in the mission should seek information at the Rotary Club of Guatemala.
Solidarity club
Rotarians are committed to society:
- In health, education, emergency relief, reconstruction and community development, fundraising and artistic development, as well as programs for children.
- In addition, they equipped the children’s orthopedic ward at Roosevelt Hospital.
- They will open a hospital in Santiago Atitlán, Sololá.
