In May 2023, the Virtue Foundation assembled an interdisciplinary team to once again travel to Mongolia. The 12th annual Surgical and Teaching Mission to Mongolia, with a robust team of 32 volunteer surgeons, medical doctors, fellows, residents, and students, returned to the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky. The team spent nearly three weeks treating patients and teaching the local doctors.
This year’s team featured a variety of advanced surgical and medical specialties, including ophthalmology (cornea, glaucoma, cataract, oculoplastics, and strabismus), otorhinolaryngology, anesthesiology and intensive care, hepatobiliary surgery, and neurosurgery. The mission took place from early to late May, at five different hospital sites in Ulaanbaatar and Khovd provinces. For the first time, the Virtue Foundation also sent a team to work in Darkhan, the second largest city in Mongolia, located north of the capital Ulaanbaatar.
In partnership with local staff, the Virtue Foundation team served more than 900 patients and performed nearly 300 advanced surgical procedures. As always, in addition to the clinical work, the teaching and training of Mongolian doctors remained a priority, as sustainable skills and knowledge transfer is a key pillar of every Virtue Foundation mission. Medical and surgical supplies and equipment valued at more than $500,000 were donated to make this mission possible. In particular, the Virtue Foundation would like to thank key supporters including SEE International, Alcon, Americares, MAP International, Integra, MAP International, CorzaEye, and many more.
The Virtue Foundation data team also met with key players including data scientists, hospital leaders, and governmental officials, to share some of the latest findings from Virtue Foundation’s Actionable Data Initiative. The team’s geospatial analytics project provided unique insights and revealed interesting trends across the Mongolian healthcare system and highlighted areas of unmet needs. The Virtue Foundation is excited to work closely with the Mongolian Ministry of Health and other key partners to explore these insights together and translate them into real, tangible impact on the 2024 mission trip.
