More than 100 patients have undergone gallbladder or hernia surgery so far in 2024 through mobile surgery campaigns to municipal hospitals throughout Bolivia.

Our mission team had the pleasure of visiting one of the sites of our mobile laparoscopic surgery campaigns to see the impact of our partnership in the hospital and the surrounding community.

Amid our long-term goals and strategies, the day-to-day work of Solidarity Bridge always comes back to serving the needs of the patient in front of us. Each brings a unique story, and it is a gift to be invited to be a part of it. For both our patients and ourselves, these encounters can be fraught with heartache, but are also a source of great joy

Bolivian doctors interested in pursuing sub-specialized training such as oncological surgery have very limited training options in-country. Our mission trip offers an opportunity for these doctors to operate alongside a surgeon who has performed thousands of the most difficult pancreatic and hepatobiliary surgical procedures.

Returning to the Chuquisaqueño Cancer Institute this week,  our goal is to leave the hospital team prepared to independently perform laparoscopic hysterectomies going forward.

At our 2023 FIESTA Gala, we are honored to recognize an organization that has done more than any other to help us advance our vision that medical professionals have the necessary resources to serve their communities in Bolivia and Paraguay.

Resuming our in-person partnership with the Oncological Institute of Eastern Bolivia this month, our main goal was to provide specialized training and fill essential surgical equipment and supply needs. But we also traveled to the Cancer Institute to share the burden, albeit for just one week, of the ups and downs of cancer care.

Florentino’s health was declining minute by minute. He was not expected to survive the night. Bolivian Dr. Susana Aviles and US Dr. Malcolm Bilimoria consulted and they agreed they would operate together as soon as Florentino could be prepped.

At the close of our gynecologic surgery mission trip in Sucre, Bolivia, US missioner, Dr. Erin Stevens, shares what motivates her to continue with this work.

It’s a bright new dawn in Cochabamba today as our patient, Marian, has recovered her ability to swallow food.

Both the Chagas disease scenario and the cardiac health field have greatly evolved since our Pacemaker Program began over 20 years ago. Dr. Marta Vakulenko of Los Angeles, USA, and Dr. Paola Rodriguez of Cochabamba, Bolivia, represent a new generation of surgeons who will continue to build our bridge to care for cardiac rhythm patients into the coming decades.

Despite the postponement of surgeries, our program remained active during these long months. Social workers maintained contact with patients and in July, our pacemaker control clinics re-opened to provide regular monitoring.