In May 2012, a team of 24 volunteer surgeons, residents, nurses, medical students and support staff joined Virtue Foundation’s Director of International Programming and Global Health Dr. Ebby Elahi and Co-Founder and Vice President Dr. Joan LaRovere to perform free, essential surgical care and to train local surgeons toward sustainable advancements in surgical healthcare delivery in Ulaanbaatar and Khovd, Mongolia.

Virtue Foundation sponsored the team of ophthalmologists, ENT and facial plastic surgeons, liver cancer surgeons, micro-vascular surgeons, anesthesiologists, residents, medical students, and nurses from four different countries, including the US, France, Israel and India, to work alongside teams of local surgeons from the First Hospital, Third Hospital, Children’s Hospital, the National Cancer Center and the Khovd Regional Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Mongolia.

“We more than doubled our team this year and were able to serve five times the number of patients we have served in prior missions,” remarked Dr. Elahi. “Our incredibly talented volunteer surgeons and medical professionals provided essential care to Mongolian men, women and children while delivering training and education to local medical professionals.” In particular, Virtue gathered more than $900,000.00 USD worth of medical equipment and supplies, which enabled the team to serve more than 750 patients, perform approximately 175 surgeries and provide more than 900 hours of best-in-class clinical training using the latest innovations in surgical techniques. In addition to providing critical care and skills training, the Foundation donated close to $200,000 worth of equipment and supplies to local hospitals and medical professionals.

As part of this year’s expansion efforts, the team piloted a cataract, glaucoma, strabismus, and oculofacial surgical mission in the western provincial capital city of Khovd. Surgeons examined more than 300 patients and performed 120 sight-restoring and reconstructive operations. The Foundation was awarded a medal of honor from the City of Khovd for its volunteers’ incredible contributions. “Our Mongolia Mission work is sustained thanks to partnerships with the medical professionals, local and international businesses and government officials who want to contribute to the development and advancement of Mongolia,” said Dr. LaRovere. “We are efficiently investing resources and using evidence to maximize our donor dollars and impact.”

Collaborative partners who provided donations and support include: Abbott Medical Optics, Alcon, Allergon, AmeriCares, Bausch & Lomb, BD Medical, BVI, Bovie, Brothers Brother, Coviden, Delta Airlines, The Desert Cyclist, ENT Shows, Ethicon Surgical, Eznis Airways, Fera Pharma, Fifth Avenue Eye Associates, Heart to Heart, Hospital Sisters, Hotel Ulaanbaatar, IOP, Leica, Manhattan Storage, Map Ethicon, Medtronic, Mongolian Ways, Mount Sinai Global Health, Olympus, Proficient Surgical Equipment, New World, SEE International, Sharpoint, SOS, Stryker, Synovis, Synthes, VOSH International and World Vision.