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The Tulane Outreach to Romania (TOR) Organization of Tulane University School of Medicine, in conjunction with the Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy from Iasi, Romania will lead a specialty-oriented medical mission in several villages near Iasi County, northeastern Romania. The team will be composed of medical doctors and medical students from the United States and from Romania. The dates for the mission will be March 24 to April 2, 2011. This mission is partly sponsored by the Daniel Murariu Foundation and the New Orleans and Bucharest "Old Court" Rotary Clubs.
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This medical mission is organized by TOR members and the Daniel Murariu Foundation. TOR was started in 2007 as an independent organization within the School of Medicine and is open to all students interested in making a change in Romania. The Daniel Murariu Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organization registered in Chicago, IL and Iasi, Romania. It was founded during fall of 2006 with the aim of reaching out to poor rural areas in Romania by organizing health campaigns in underserved villages, provide scholarships for children who cannot afford to continue their education, and work with rural schools to improve quality and resources. For photographs and information about our past medical missions can be accessed at www.fdm.ro. The Tulane Outreach to Romania Organization was recently started in New Orleans to bridge the gap between Tulane University medical students and medical needs and opportunities in Romania. It is indeed an incredible opportunity for Tulane medical students, residents and physicians alike to broaden their cultural horizons and connections within their respective fields, work in a dynamic group with specific medical purposes, and learn in a unique environment that provides much-needed help to targeted communities in Romania.
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The medical mission to Romania will take place in and around the villages of Comarna and Macaresti, Iasi County. We intend to set up two teams of at least six doctors and a minimum of eighteen medical students, drawn equally from both the US and Romania. These are free clinics that will be open to the local population. Due to the impoverishment in these areas and the high demand for medical attention, there will be a high patient volume. Our focus is specialty consultations in obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, gastroenterology and cardiology. The students will be highly involved in the process. This is a hands-on learning experience. Students will assist the physicians and perform technical tasks like Papanicolau tests, electrocardiograms, abdominal, pelvic and pregnancy ultrasounds, making this a unique experience. We intend not only to have a direct and immediate impact on the health and lives of the patients we will examine, but also to make education and preventive medicine a top priority. Thus, we will make pamphlets (at the appropriate level of our target population) describing cardiovascular and gynecological health risks and preventive measures, as well as where they can access more information. Daily discussions, exchange of opinions and perceptions, as well as first hand experience within the health system of a developing country are all important parts of our aim to facilitate a greater understanding and exchange between the participating medical professionals. We truly wish for this to be an enriching and exciting project that will open the door to many more of its kind!
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Tentative schedule during 2011 Spring break for the US participants March 24 - April 2, 2011)
| Wednesday | US Participants leave New Orleans |
| Thursday - Friday |
US Participants arrive in Bucharest |
| Saturday - Tuesday |
8AM-12PM: work at Macaresti and Comarna clinics. 12PM-1PM: break 1PM-last patient: work 8PM-9PM: dinner 9PM-930PM: daily discussion |
| Wednesday - Friday | Leave for Brasov. Tour the ancient city of Brasov. Leave for Bucharest. |
| Saturday or Sunday | US participants leave for the US |
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The participating physicians of the US team will be drawn from the Tulane University School of Medicine of New Orleans, LA; the students are members of the Tulane Outreach to Romania. Our Romanian medical students will be drawn from the Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy from Iasi. The University Hospital of Iasi will provide ECG (electrocardiogram) and echocardiography equipment for the purposes of this medical mission, along with a portable ultrasound machine for the duration of the trip. The Marius Nasta Institute of Pulmonary will provide spirometry testing equipment. We will also provide basic examination tools and supplies, such as blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, rubbing alcohol, compression gauzes, etc. We will also petition several companies for donations of toothbrushes and toothpaste to distribute to our patients. We will work together with the local doctors to use and share the available clinic space. If the space is insufficient, we will petition the school principals and townhall staff to provide us the rooms necessary for health promotion and examination of patients.
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The airfare (New Orleans to Bucharest roundtrip is estimated between 800 and 1100 USD per person) for the students will be paid by fundraising and students themselves. The other estimated expenses for the students will include 6 night hotel stay while in Iasi (30 USD per day), food for three days while traveling (60-100 USD). Transportation from Bucharest to Iasi and then to the clinic sites and from the sites to Brasov and then to Bucharest will be arranged by the organizers as well.
The total cost incurred by TOR for housing, food, and transportation for all the students and
the physicians combined is estimated to 1440 USD, and is as follows:
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The benefits of this project are many and self evident. First of all, we are trying to provide quality care in underserved areas with a focus on cardiac, gynecologic and pediatric pathology. Secondly, we will forge relationships between the Tulane University School of Medicine and the medical schools of Iasi and Bucharest, as well as between the physicians themselves. We hope that this exchange of information will lead to a greater interest in Romania and its struggling but progressive healthcare system for the US team, as well as a gain in different perspectives on the approach to pathology by both parties. This project hopes to also evidence the benefits of volunteering and will act as an impetus for an increased interest in civic duty and social involvement. We thank you for your interest and look forward to your involvement!
For more general information about Romania:
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