After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Virtue Foundation Surgical and Teaching Mission to Mongolia resumed in May of 2022. A team of volunteer surgeons, medical doctors, fellows, residents, and administrators arrived in the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky with a renewed energy for global health work and serving others, spending nearly three weeks there treating patients and supporting local doctors.
The 18 volunteers on the 2022 mission represented a variety of advanced surgical and medical specialties, including: ophthalmology, oculoplastic surgery, otorhinolaryngology, anesthesiology and intensive care, hepatobiliary surgery and neurosurgery. The mission took place from early to late May, at four different hospital sites in Ulaanbaatar and Khovd Provinces.

Once again, the mission had a significant impact: In partnership with local staff, the Virtue Foundation team served more than 600 patients, more than 200 of whom received advanced surgical procedures. And once again, in addition to the clinical work, teaching and training of Mongolian doctors remained a priority as sustainable skills and knowledge transfer is a key pillar of every Virtue Foundation mission.

The mission’s work also benefited from the recent publication of VF’s World Compendium of Healthcare Facilities and Nonprofit Organizations—a comprehensive index of critical information on healthcare facilities and nonprofits in 72 low- and lower-middle-income countries, including Mongolia. The Virtue Foundation team shared some of the key findings from the Compendium with Mongolian ministry officials. These are the first steps towards using the insights from the Virtue Foundation Actionable Data Initiative to support the healthcare system in Mongolia and beyond.

And then there’s next year! Virtue Foundation looks forward to returning to Mongolia in 2023 and continuing to expand the size and scope of this multifaceted initiative.

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