Being asked to tell of our dreams to aid the poor and underprivileged people of Bolivia, I will summarize some of my experiences in Cochabamba. My first trip to Bolivia was March 2002 when I was invited to go with a group of Dentists and Physicians, sponsored by our church organization, to give primary care to the needy there. I was impressed with the tremendous need. Folks would line up at 3:30 in the morning to be seen in our clinics. On my first day I treated 93 patients, while working from early morning until evening. I discovered so many ailments that required fallow up medical and surgical care that we were unable to provide, but attempted to direct them to a source of local help. We were there only about too weeks. Near the end of our stay I went to a prison in Cochabamba anticipating to see a few patients. I ended up seeing probably 40 people that day. I was surprised to find out that there is no medical care available and no culinary facilities. If friends or family do not supply their need they go without. I will never forget one teenage boy I treated. Prior to being put in prison, two week before, he had suffered a large knife wound to his arm. It had not been sutured but only wrapped in a cloth. As we removed his make shift dressing, a deep gaping putrefied wound could be seen. All we could do was to clean in up the best possible and bandage it in sterile dressings and try to arrange for fallow up with a local physician. My dream is to establish strategically located aid centers in order to meet the basic medical and dental needs, including preventative medicine and health education and counseling, and develop a referral system for more complicated problems.

Lester H. Fuller, MD