dr. edgar rodas tackles this problem by bringing the hospital to the people. since 1994, his (unclear) foundation has been providing surgical care for hard to reach communities spread across ecuador. (speaking spanish) third narrator: oscar fuerte is a fish trader. suffering from a condition that requires surgery, he cannot work to support his family. (speaking spanish) (speaking spanish) (speaking spanish) dr. rodas: when we go to towns that are far away and very poor, we don't charge absolutely anything. the idea is that nobody, nobody can not have an operation because they don't have money. (speaking spanish) third narrator: after 6 months of living with a disabling hernia, oscar is ready for his operation. (speaking spanish) dr. rodas: oscar fuerte is a leader in the community and has lots of friends. all the community was concerned about him. (speaking spanish) (vehicle racing by) (speaking spanish) (speaking spanish) (speaking spanish) (speaking spanish) (sizzling) (speaking spanish) dr. rodas: for the general public, health is just the absence of diseas