Panama

As part of the Global Health Initiative (GHI) to improve cancer care in developing countries I was able to travel to Panama and work with the Radiation Oncology center there. We teamed up with Panama’s Instituto Oncologico Nacional (ION), and ALATRO (Asociacion Latino Americano de Terapia Radiante Oncologia), and were immersed in the different modalities of care available and were really able to see first hand how over worked, and underserved this area really is.

View from the patients room.

Cancer hospital.

Radiation vault and Linac.

We visited local cancer charity houses, such as La Casita de Mausi: This is a local charity house for cancer patients in Panama. The house plays a key role in allowing cancer patients to get their treatments, providing housing for cancer patients that don’t have social security and live a considerable distance from the city. To learn more visit, www.casitademausi.org.pa

During the trip we were able to work with ANCEC and Activo 20-30: The Associacion Nacional Contra el Cancer is a National organization in Panama that promotes cancer awareness in developing countries, www.ancecpanama.net, Activo 20-30 is anorganization encourages outreach service in order to create a better future, and focuses on multiple levels of service, such as building schools, hospitals, clinics, gardens, and playgrounds, visit www.activo20-30panama.org

Last, but not least, the nonprofit I started up, RadiationHope.org, was able to donate various radiation items to improve the cancer center there. We seeks to advance radiation oncology and cancer care in developing countries.