Surgical Mission to Guatemala
Health for Humanity Service Society received its charitable status in 2002 and sponsored its first surgical mission at the Obras Sociales del S. Hermano Pedro Hospital in Antigua, Guatemala in November 2002. Although the work at the Obras has always remained its flagship, H4H teams have provided surgical services to hospitals in other parts of Guatemala as well as to the Philippines.
The H4H surgical program has provided volunteer teams yearly for periods of two or three weeks in November. All team members are entirely self-funded and most of our volunteers find the experience so rewarding that they commonly happily volunteer for many years.
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Health for Humanity has made significant contributions to the evolution of the Obras facility which now ranks as the third largest surgical facility by case volume in Guatemala. The OR facilities at the Obras have been upgraded both in capacity (from 3 ORs in 2002 to 8 ORs in 2022) and sophistication.
The surgical program relies entirely on volunteer international surgical teams and the number of volunteers has ranged from 30 in the early years to as many as 90 and is made up of surgical, anesthesia medical specialists, specialty RNs as well as support non-medical logistical and interpreter staff.
In 2024, we
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2024
November 7 - 14The 2024 mission in Antigua, Guatemala was a remarkable success, bringing together 80 dedicated volunteers who provided care to 216 patients through a total of 274 procedures. The mission covered a range of surgical specialties, including Plastic Surgery (52 patients), General Surgery (67 patients), Gynecology (25 patients), Urology (34 patients), and Orthopaedic Surgery (18 patients). Dental care was also a key part of the effort, with 8 patients receiving dental surgery in the operating room and 60 more treated in the clinic.
A major advancement this year was the use of laparoscopic techniques in 48 procedures, made possible by new equipment generously donated by the Stryker company.
This year also marked Dr. Jason Gray’s first as surgical lead for the mission — a role he embraced with great dedication and effectiveness. We're proud to announce that Dr. Gray will return as the surgical lead for the 2025 mission, continuing his commitment to bringing exceptional surgical care to communities in need.
Mission Groups Over the Years
Dental Mission
Our Mission in Guatemala
Over the past three years, our dental mission in Guatemala has been led by Dr. Adriana Seas, a Costa Rican dentist with over 20 years of experience who now resides in Vancouver, Canada. She has spent several years working with children under general anesthesia and has dedicated recent years to developing the Dental Program for Health for Humanity, bringing essential care to communities with limited resources.
With the invaluable support of volunteers such as Dr. Miguel Sevilla from Germany and dental assistants, our team has been able to treat up to 50 patients per mission. Working at Obras Hospital, our volunteer dental surgeons provide surgical treatments, restorations, and oral hygiene education to children, families, and individuals with disabilities.
Each mission goes beyond addressing urgent dental needs. By sharing knowledge and preventive practices, we empower families to care for their oral health long-term transforming not only smiles but lives.
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