NPO HEART SAVING PROJECT

For five days from May 2nd to May 6th, 2024, a total of 10 people traveled to Mongolia and carried out activities. The members were divided into two groups: the “Regional Examination Team,” which conducted examinations at local hospitals, and the “Catheterization Team,” which carried out treatment activities in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. In this article, we will mainly report on the “Local Medical Examination Team”.
The local examination sites this time are Dundgobi Central Hospital (Mandalgobi City, Dundgobi District) and Govisümber District General Hospital (Choil City, Govisümber District).The local examination team members this time are three doctors from Japan (Dr. Noriyuki Haneda, Dr. Eiichi Yamamoto, Dr.Tanomo Ono). There were 11 people in total: 1 medical student, 1 member volunteer, 1 doctor from Mongolia’s National Maternal and Child Health Center (Dr. Anudin), 2 local NPOs (Oyunnar and Uruka), and 3 drivers.
In the past, we visited Dundgobi province in 2012 and Govisümber province in 2015 for local medical examinations.
On May 2nd (Thursday), participants from Japan gathered at Narita Airport Terminal 2. We have been exchanging emails in advance, but some of us are meeting each other for the first time here. We took a direct flight from Narita Airport with Mongolian Miat Airways to Mongolia, bringing two portable echo machines for use in medical examinations. We would like to thank Doremi Clinic and GE

Healthcare Japan Co., Ltd. for providing this equipment. We arrived in Ulaanbaatar after 6pm and stayed at the Ulaanbaatar hotel, where we went to bed early after dinner.

Dundgobi Province Central Hospital 280km Away

The next day, the 3rd (Friday), we left the hotel at 6:15am and boarded three Lexus SUVs. It was sunny and a little chilly. After traveling 280km for three and a half hours, we arrived in Mandalgovi City, Dundgovi Province. First, we checked in at BURD HOTEL, where we would be staying for the day, and then visited Dundgovi Central Hospital, where we would be undergoing a medical examination, and after greeting them, we prepared for the medical examination. After that, we returned to the hotel and had lunch before returning to the hospital and starting our medical examination in the afternoon.

As for the screening system, local NPOs and member volunteers handled the reception at a reception desk built in the hallway, prepared medical questionnaires, and then in the next two screening rooms, three teams of Japanese and Mongolian doctors conducted the screening using one echo machine from the local hospital and two echo machines brought from Japan. This process was carried out very smoothly thanks to the know-how cultivated through the local medical examinations we have carried out in the past.A total of 112 people were examined from 1:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., followed by a conference. After finishing, we went back to the hotel and had dinner. On the 4th (Saturday), the examination began at 8:30 a.m. and ended at 12:00 noon. On this day, 80 people were screened, meaning a total of 192 people were screened over the two days.

After the event, we had lunch with the Director of Health of Dundgovi Central Hospital and the hospital doctor (Dr. Hariuna). After lunch, we left Mandalgovi city at 1:30pm and headed to our next destination, Choil city. The 210km of the road was completely off-road, and we stopped at a place called “Ikh Gazriin Chuluu” where there are granite formations along the way, and at a nomadic ger called a friend’s parents’ home.We finally arrived at Choil at 9pm, but after having trouble finding a hotel, we had dinner at 10pm, then went stargazing before heading back to our accommodation.

 

Govisümber Province General Hospital, 230 km from Ulaanbaatar

On the 5th (Sunday), after checking out of the hotel at 8:30 a.m., we headed to Gobisumbel District General Hospital, where we would be undergoing medical examinations that day, and conducted medical examinations on 100 people between 9:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.The system is the same as the day before. Although this hospital is a general hospital, it does not have a pediatric cardiology department or a cardiovascular internal medicine department, so it seemed to have a wide range of disease severity.After completing the medical examination and having lunch, we departed from Choil City at 3:30 pm, and after driving 230 km, we arrived at Nalaikha, just before Ulaanbaatar, at 7:00 pm. After completing our catheterization activities, we met up with the members of the catheterization team who had briefly enjoyed the countryside of Mongolia, and then headed back to Ulaanbaatar.

This trip was a physically demanding local medical examination trip over 3 days and 2 nights, with a total distance of 440km and 14 hours of driving, including 210km off-road, but everyone who participated said they had a lot of fun. One of the reasons may be that we were able to enjoy unusual scenery as we traveled, including rows of strangely shaped rocks and a desert.
Another major factor was that the local rental car (Lexus SUV) we used this time had been well maintained in advance to prevent it from malfunctioning during the trip, and it was driven carefully and had a comfortable ride. I was worried that I would be tired after returning home, but I have heard that the experience was actually refreshing and motivated me afterwards.

Once again, we would like to take this opportunity to thank Doremi Clinic and GE Healthcare Japan Co., Ltd. for lending us the echo machine free of charge. thank you very much.