thank you for joining us. touch. pope francis has called it a sign of solidarity the hospital ship papa francisco will serve people in remote villages in the old in brazil along the amazon the world's longest river. it will provide medical care to villages in an area the size of germany. report back to its full time on the hospital ship.

i gave up on and got assigned as i heard about the project i was very enthusiastic about it it enables me to work as a franciscan and as a doctor in a region where the people are very poor. and we discuss with the ship we can provide the people with what they really need to good health care but have to go back 5 all. the franciscan nun gave up her post a senior position at a hospital in germany and took on the job of chief medical officer on board the papa francisca an exciting challenge. dawn in santo antonio a small community of river to alice in brazil. as soon as they heard the hospital ship was on its way people from the surrounding villages started gathering here.

the assembly hall has been crowded since early morning free medical treatment brought virtually to the front door is. almost too good to be true but 1st mass is celebrated to the franciscans healing and eventually station the 2 sides of the same coin. or market. i would say that the hospital ship papa francisco is a church on the move. all together with the volunteers and missionaries that god sends us we set out to bring healing for the body but also for the soul might. want to thank. you brother joel is chief coordinator of the hospital ship he invites people of all

faiths to attend the mass as well as to receive medical treatment. the priest is a member of a fraternity called the franciscan friars of assisi in the providence of god which commissioned the ship in the world where. most of the 300000 people in the diocese of all the dust are desperately poor and most of the priests who minister to them are franciscans. all caring for the poor and the sick has always been part of the franciscan mission . hills. newsgroup by the new. army and would have preferred lots of the people who come here don't have any health issues sometimes it's a personal problem they want to discuss i think faith is very valuable to the people that helps them to realize they can overcome their limitations are good

ideas. this is a multifaceted mission medical treatment pastoral care and evangelists ation the 1st to pray exam. i went. jane measuring checking blood pressure. yellow fever hepatitis and meningitis are rampant in this region and the hospital ship carries vaccines. the people's needs are acute the nearest hospital and closest doctor in the town of abi dos half a day's boat ride away. but. right thanks it's expensive to go to town you have to leave at night to get there by morning and then you only get called at the hospital if you're lucky otherwise you have to come back the next day for or 5 days before you see a doctor if some of the people in this village for instance the elderly can't travel to town. as they can we must thank god for the priests the mayor of those

doesn't do anything for us in. an emergency and 85 year old man had chest pains and difficulty breathing all night his wife has brought him to the hospital ship he wouldn't have made it into town. a sandwich for the bus or move to the mall it was very bad last night was in nearly died yes he kept asking and turning and begging for help we thought it was the end but i said to him hold on to god for the lord is our god send us your will god do something heal him don't let him die room their ship in sept. out luckily for the patient there are 2 cardiologists on board the 2 italian doctors a part of the medical team on this maiden voyage. explorer.

and e.c.g. confirms that the old man is suffering from heart failure he's already had a minor cardiac arrest the 1st line of treatment is medication to bring his blood pressure down to what you should take it morning and evening and will take an x. ray. to check the heart and lungs ok. it's called the. next door is a dentist he's also from italy it's like his 2 colleagues this doctor has given up his summer vacation to work on the ship without paying his reward is the knowledge that he's needed dental problems are acute in this region for nutrition and a lack of basic dental care produced disastrous results. a lot of people have it's completely destroyed saw the most is extraction of the un. and even on very young girls or boys. here are very

very mush then there's the doctors' offices are below day only on one card or one busy office is the ultrasound department. made a is nearly 8 months pregnant and this is her 1st visit to a doctor ultrasound is only available in all because hospital but she can't afford it on the hospital ship it's free. sample rates good you don't know whether it's going to be a girl or a boy i don't know. in china but that materialises pinas it's a boy congratulations and here's his profile that everything's perfect it's all good the examination results are good to those that my don't see any problems here josh and i've been out there just how they are i think that i'm so happy i thought it was a girl but it's a boy. phase it is. another little boy for me i'm

so happy i think also i know that everything's ok you know housing she's visibly relieved to have one less worry but it's not as simple as that it is a family. you don't decide where does it say it's the patients often have the idea that an alter a sound examination replaces the need for a doctor and often there isn't any doctors don't want to sit on hold but i was for instance are almost no specialist if they want any kind of colleges is this vision or always is that they'll. be something like glittering a baby has done by a surgeon because there are no obstetricians fire or fire as well off all those facilities so that anything goes a young mother is waiting in the car door for a 2nd examination of her baby. or. a move out boss when he has

a nasty cough sore throat and can hardly breathe. so the doctor asked for an x. ray to check his lungs right away the moment. there. was. to ship doesn't only carry a team of 10 doctors it also has the necessary medical equipment the nearest hospital doesn't have an x. ray machine. the x. ray doesn't show any abnormalities so the baby's blood is tested in the ship's own look archery. to papa francisco is the best equipped hospital ship in brazil's amazon region there's an operating room onboard and they'll be a surgeon on the team in future. sister anna christina de silva is one of 2 nurses on board. up was

us a vision of us aging after the operation the patient is transferred to the recovery room until his condition has stabilized and he is fully conscious i mean to the situation if the boys if i just went after that he can stay here for 24 hours until he's moved to another hospital or sent home now oh it is a livid at the back as. there's no end to the stream of patients the team performs 150 examinations each day sister brought back works for morning until night she specialized neurology but he she also works as a general practitioner many of her patients have chronic ailments like this man with constant back pain. in my feet that say i was a total of 8. then there's a dermatological case as there's no relevant specialist on board the doctors used telemedicine the italians donated the equipment. the girl suffers

from an aggressive and painful foot fungus. videos photos and in the nischelle diagnosis assent to an international community of experts with a request for treatment recommendations. here it is poison all right wasn't he goes we'll call you later to see if there are any recommendations other than this on him and we've already given her something out of it as chief medical officer says that a router tries to select volunteers for the medical team in line with the requirements of the villages they'll be visiting. india is this the atmosphere had our idea is to go there 1st and see what diseases are most prevalent if a lot of people have skin conditions it would be sensible to take a dermatologist along for instance that's our current plan to look at the situation 1st and then put out teams together. for this purpose they are sending out their ambulance spotted ahead of the next voyage but even now while the hospital ship is

more than one of the villages the ambulance boaters already visiting neighboring communities. on board a nurse and a priest on their way to patients who aren't able to visit the hospital ship. that nearly is 94 years old sister mary had a concious sow examines her. i. see her making you see probably no sister and a big mix for. those words you don't see anything with either i. wanted them how long have you not been able to see their. not very long i sort of for you should you lose your sight gradually or suddenly you. know gradually.

as soon as i have cataracts that can be fixed but we have to operate. on both the old woman is almost blind she doesn't want an operation the nurse understands her figure figure that profit long. you know all this if she's doing well she's in good shape that you'll never was just about that ok let's go you know. more patients are waiting. for the very big. a good point because he was bitten by a snake here when he came here at 11 o'clock he was very sick and lug if you lost consciousness i treated him with herbs that my father showed me and now the swelling is going down you mean you had they didn't sound the bite was here with you and emergencies like this occurs frequently one has to act fast.

if they're made to come in this is the medicine i make you think that if it contains 4 herbs what are you that you care and in one of them there's lots of antibiotics are. they going to be or to. the thirds are affected the patient is feeling so much better that he doesn't even want to go to the hospital ship the healer goes instead she has a cyst on his tirade gland. her 81 year old neighbor comes along she suffers from various complaints but can't manage the trip into town to visit a doctor. the patients are taken to the ship where the doctors are expecting them meanwhile their neighbors collect the results of their tests even ilson acevedo brought his extended family along in just 2 days with the whole gamut medical examination

tests diagnosis and treatment. here are even nuisance results he has kidney stones on both sides and when they move it's really painful otherwise the x. ray is ok. very tough to look at. it was worth it i've been examined so have my daughter my daughter in law and my son and the others as well and my other daughter in law is having a tooth extracted right now. that would have taken weeks months in town not to mention the travelling expenses and medical fees. the cases in santo and tonio have been traced. to sail. the hospital ship serves 1000 river communities beyond the boundaries of the overall style. 700000 people.

in the future the ship will be underway for up to 10 days at a time then it will tie up here in order to prepare for the next 4 huge. in spite of the heavy rain that many people have spent the night here. to secure their place in the line i have heard that on its maiden voyage the hospital ship will also be treating patients in overdose. no we don't have any more capacity. to crowd is frustrated because all the appointments were soon taken. through there will be mass later but will continue seeing patients in. the main celebrant today is the bishop of overdose yohannes bollman was appointed to this

diocese in the amazon region 10 years ago don bernardo as the german cleric is known in brazil is very much a pastoral bishop he has actively supported the hospital ship project to go. bungee bungee at the back of cars or cannot see that so it's up and running if you think everyone be treated or was not always possible and it will be no no we couldn't treat everyone for so many yes we can treat 100 a day here and we have 300 waiting in line. to projects initial costs were covered by a fine a judge heard about the proposed hospital ship and awarded the equivalent of 6000000 euros to the project a fine him posed in an environmental case that was sufficient to buy the ship and financed the 1st voyages. bishop bollman is committed to securing the projects feature. that so i doubt it could stand us here you start some bit that will

approach prosecutors and judges and encourage them in cases where a fine is imposed it's good to invest that money in this project because it's a truly concrete project that really helps a lot of people on the field mention who bought your honner spellman is also a franciscan the german born priest has lived in brazil for nearly 40 years. i. was. told that it's a source of joy for us to help everyone else. is that it is. here and i hope the killing will receive the healing of the you need for your life be it does god could have a place in the lives of each one of you that it was that you in addition to theology bishop ullman also studied agricultural science and he represents his

region at the pan amazon synod in rome attended by bishops from the 9 countries of the amazon region their agenda is comprehensive it ranges from poor infrastructure to de forestation of the rainforest and protection of this indigenous peoples all problems that have become more attuned to since a right wing government came to power in brazil in 201801 minute i thought that can't we take a different approach this is not about us saying we are special ops or as the church are against progress or against development. we have to question our so if we can't do these things irrespective of the cost to us that we have to ask ourselves about sustainability and how we can do to build bridges the problems we have in the hamazon region can be solved it's a push even opprobrium it to be out in a lot so an interest that. lies at the heart of the amazon region

the great river is only 2 kilometers wide at this point here in the state of para deforestation and forest fires are among the most egregious in brazil the catholic church is determined not to ignore these issues the pan amazon synod is tasked with stimulating action. for many years the church has played a major role in providing health services in this town. 50000 residents 5 years ago the fraternity of sin francis in the providence of god took over the municipal hospital. the congregation grants 20 hospitals in brazil this one in all the dos serves the hospital ship as a base that you can now spend the can admit patients to this hospital who need longer treatment for instance intravenous antibiotics treatments for several days and patients who need to be observed over a longer period of the also expectant mothers when we know the birth will be

complicated patients can stay here for several days of being. here there's a doctor on tuesday around the clock even if hospital is not as well equipped for diagnoses as the ship the little extra patient from the hospital ship has spent 2 nights here inhaling infusions. right. yeah so to leave the are you going home today everything ok. let me see back here. a bit philip is doing well it was an infection of the respiratory tract of fluid in the mia he will prescribe a medicine and he can go home and say that. over just hospital is state recognised and receive subsidies however they are not sufficient to cover all the costs the ship has also received a promise of subsidies. next door this construction work going on the new building

will be better equipped than the old hospital but the franciscans are still waiting for a state subsidy. back on the hospital ship brother surely souza is assessing the 1st 6 day voyage on which 800 patients receive treatment you are with the parts up or so they were what i was doing the statistics tears came into my eyes because i know it's not numbers it's people. human suffering. system the neurologist treated 103 people. don't know the dentists 163 patients we made 136 x. rays. 10 mammograms we're going to be your 174 sonogram stuff. laboratory tests course always look that's the result of our efforts and our sweat i can only say

thank you. we're all mates as you did we made it happen here people have experienced a sign of solidarity and there are no words to describe it they follow my heart rejoices that each person who is treated here certainly has the same feeling of gratitude and of this unique opportunity in our lives and. it's a reason to celebrate. the thing. the maiden voyage was a tremendous success now freshly scrubbed and restocked with medicines the ship is ready to sail again while the volunteers change with each voyage sister rutan brothers sail regularly on the hospital ship together with the cool medical

training. coming together they assess the lessons learned for the upcoming trips. to something else i noticed i don't know how you view this as a doctor kind of college is urgently needed right. but the absolutely radiologist gynecologists general practitioner and sister group will take this into account when selecting volunteers in the future many come from the franciscan. hospitals in brazil. has ridden out of the red completely exhausted after the maiden voyage but also super happy that it worked out so well as the work of clapped out and everybody is looking forward to the next track does is that we go with that i think that's what makes our project special that it's something ongoing . we gather experience and apply it to the project for that so each voyage should get russia and the cool team is incredibly honey much of a tit. bit by the way a bit out of the good for you but the fan well gathering bishop bollman is also

present to thank all those who took part. in. the last snap shots from the maiden voyage the 1st of many trips. then they set off for the official dedication ceremony in the state capital meanwhile the papa francisco has taken up its important mission and become sailing regularly to the amazons isolated river communities serving people who until now have had hardly any access to health care.

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