• Submitted by: manso
• Politics and Government
• 09 / 29 / 2010

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Doctor takes knowledge, gear to Cuba. Dr. Christopher O'Grady has experienced two vastly different sides of medicine in Cuba.

 Dr. Christopher O'Grady, left, an Andrews Institute orthopedic surgeon, gets a baseball signed by Cuban baseball player, Julio Torres Serrano. Serrano was one of 40 patients who received the latest in Western medical treatment during Operation Arthroscopy.

As a Navy doctor, he treated inmates in the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base detention center, and provided what he called, "gold card" treatment.

O'Grady recently went back to Cuba as a civilian orthopedic surgeon representing the Andrews Institute Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Center, in Gulf Breeze.

He taught Cuban surgeons basic arthroscopy, a minimally invasive procedure for diagnosing and treating shoulder, hip and knee problems.

"They are frozen in time ... about 20 to 25 years behind our country," he said about the medical technology and techniques used by Cuban surgeons. "They are a long way from being able to do what's being done at Andrews on a daily basis."

O'Grady was among a group of 22 physicians and seven nurses from five different countries who traveled to Cuba as part of Operation Arthroscopy, a humanitarian medical mission led by the organization's cofounder, Dr. William Stetson of Burbank, Calf.

During their 10-day stay, they donated $1 million in equipment and performed 40 surgeries in Havana, Ciego de Avila and Santiago de Cuba on hand-picked patients, including former Cuban President Fidel Castro's son, Antonio Castro, and Cuban National Series team Granma Alazanes' pitcher Julio Torres Serrano.

"The goal of the mission was about educating the physicians rather than treating the population," O'Grady said.

With what they learned, the Cuban surgeons will be able to treat patients, who, for the most part, deal with debilitating joint problems by using a cane or just living with a disability, O'Grady said.

The state of Cuba's medical system is shocking, O'Grady said, given the fact that Cuba is a mere 90 miles from one of the richest and technologically advanced countries in the world.

The United States embargo against Cuba keeps the country financially isolated and restricts access to medical supplies, even the drugs needed for operations, O'Grady said.

O'Grady, who joined Gulf Breeze-based Andrews after leaving the Navy in 2006, had been looking for a humanitarian mission when he learned about Operation Arthroscopy from a friend.

"This is the first time I've been able to do something like this," he said. "I tried to go to Haiti after the earthquake, but it was a logistical nightmare."

Cuba proved to be a prefect fit for his skills and time restraints, and he took along $60,000 worth of equipment donated by Andrews' medical vendors.

"It is not surprising that Dr. O'Grady went on the medical mission trip to Cuba," said Maria Halpin, Andrews quality manager. "He is an extremely caring person, and his kindness and thoughtfulness are evident in patient care and in patient satisfaction."

O'Grady said he's anxious to go back to Cuba in hopes the medical missions will bridge the gap in the country's medical care. "If we could mandate that everyone go do something like this and see a third-world county, I think we'd all be better off," he said. "I hope with ongoing trips, and perhaps a change in the political climate ... it will help them build on their own education and, therefore, take care of their own population."

Source: Pensacola News Journal