COMMUNITY BASED WORK + LETTER OF THE CHAIRMAN DR DANIEL HERNANDEZ

A group of amazing people has been in northern Argentina in the province of JUJUY the last weekend. During 3 days these colleagues visited three small towns and attended a total number of 950 patients. 

Link to the news: 
http://www.eltribuno.info/atencion-chagasicos-n458064

The group is under the leading advice and field work of the Cardiology specialists: Dr. Paul Flores, Dr. Guillermo Schmitt, Dr. Miguel Amor and Dr. Daniel O. Hernandez, Head of department in Internal Medicine in the Nordeast National University's Medical School. 

This initiative is reconized by the Argentinian Federation of Cardiology. 
http://www.fac.org.ar/index.php

The work i is focused not only in assistance to the people and medical studies but also on talks to the community for prevention.

It's not possible for many people in these rural areas to displace by themselves to the hospital. The Chagas Initiative in the Americas tries to acquire means and logistics to reach this people and to bring healthcare for fighting a disease that have a big burden in the quality of life. It shortens life expectancy and limits the capacity to work and the productivity of whole communities which already are in low socioeconomic status conditions. 

We come to the people

Thanks a lot for the support to all the donors and collaborators to this initiative. Our accomplishment could not be possible without your help.

 LETTER TO COLLEAGUES AND PUBLIC:  

My name is Dr. Daniel O. Hernandez.

I’ve got my degree in medicine in December 1995, at the Faculty of Medicine of the Nordeast National University UNNE.

I made the residence program in Cardiology 1997, at the Department of Cardiology, General San Martin Teaching Hospital in Corrientes, Argentina. Since June 1 of that year until May 31, 2001, I was Chief Resident, and afterwards Instructor of residence, through May 2002.

Since 2000, I am a Professor of the Faculty of Medicine UNNE.

2000-2003: Chairman of Internal Medicine Department at the Nordeast National University.

2003 - 2012: Head of department of the VI Catedra of Internal Medicine. 

Member of the Society of Cardiology of Corrientes, Argentinian Society of Cardiology, and currently Vice President Of the Chagas Committee in the Argentinian  Federation of Cardiology

In Chagas research, we got special Mentions and Awards:

With a group of doctors, nurses and students of the Nordeast School of Medicine, we obtained in 2010, two special mentions in the Argentine Congress of Cardiology

In 2011: the Scientific Committee of the Argentine Congress of Cardiology gave 1st prize On Best Basic Research

In 2012: the South American Congress of Cardiology in the City of Asuncion Paraguay, The scientific Committee gave the prize as the presentation in the South American Congress of Cardiology.

We have already attended to 2,300 patients in 15 villages of Interior the province of Chaco, also in  two Locations in the provinces of Formosa and 3 villages in the province of Santiago del Estero in the Northern region of Argentina.

At present, in the Faculty of Medicine in the city of Corrientes, northern Argentina, our Clinic runs a medical consult for Patients with Chagas-Mazza disease,  and we receive patients from throughout the province of Corrientes, Formosa, and even North of the province of Santa Fe. We have already attended  more than 300 patients in two years since we opened.

We have began  a Research protocol in our Chagas Disease Commitee:

This study protocol consist of

-IDENTIFICATION OF CLINICAL PROGNOSTIC MARKERS AND ANTIBODIES IN CHAGAS DISEASE

-ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC AND ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC MARKERS

-STUDY OF ANTIMUSCARINIC ANTIBODIES IN PATIENTS WITH CRONIC CHAGAS DISEASE IN RURAL AND URBAN LOCATIONS OF NORTHERN  ARGENTINA.

This study is being carried out with a great deal of sacrifice, with a low budget. We use our own electrocardiography machines and we apport our personal echonomical resources to afford this initiative.

We have already included 1100 patients with Chagas disease to our study,  from 7 locations in the Provences of Jujuy and Formosa. Everything was done with  our limited resources:

- only  7 Holter machines

- 2 echocardiography machines (brought by two colleagues, specialists in cardiology from the city of Buenos Aires -Capitol of the country- that come to our expeditions in the north of Argentina)

-and 5 electrocardiography machines.

Now at this point we decided to start making Holter registers (24 hours electrocardiograms) to all patients who require it. In order to do that, we have to move so many miles to come to the remote and abandoned communities in rural areas of Argentina and to Stay several days doing the recordig and after that return to our homes.

All entities, corporations, hospitals, municipalities, counties and colleagues who are willing and want to participate by any means with our initiative shall be welcome.

Those who are able and willing to donate materials or economic founding for the realization of this protocol for the care of patients who have virtually no social security coverage and can not afford an elecrocardogram, Holter or an echocardiography, will receive the best of our gratefullness, and we are commited to report on the overviews of the results of our work.

All cardiologists, biochemists, general practitioners and medical students receive no charge or any remuneration for this study.

thank you very much for your support:

Dr Daniel Osvaldo Hernandez

H. D. Internal Medicine Education Department

Nordeast National University School of Medicine
 drdanhernandez@hotmail.com

Mariano Moreno 1240

Corrientes - República Argentina - CP: 3400

 

Teléfonos: (54) 379-4423155/4422290

Fax: (54) 379-4425508

 

Correo: info@med.unne.edu.ar