Children suffering from genital deficiencies will have more hope of receiving treatment with the establishment of a new Paediatric Genital Reconstruction Fund for Viet Nam.
HA NOI —
The fund, co-founded by Tran Mai Anh and Greig Craft, is aimed at bringing talented doctors to Viet Nam and training local doctors in the most advanced technology and techniques associated with paediatric urology. Anh and Craft plan to invite Italian doctor Roberto to Viet Nam in August. De Castro has over 35 years experience working on hypospadias and sexual development disorders, inventing a surgical approach (known as ASTRA) and a technique for early penile reconstruction in infants and children, known as phalloplasty.
Doctor Dinh Tue, an American reconstructive surgeon from Houston, Texas, who is also a friend of Doctor De Castro, will be in Viet Nam during the same period. The two doctors will begin the ‘technology transfer' to and training of Vietnamese surgeons while carrying out free surgeries and examinations on victims suffering from a loss of genitals. To date, eight patients have been selected, four of which are qualified for surgery scheduled for November.
"We plan to establish a teaching centre to treat patients," De Castro wrote in an email to the Viet Nam News. He continued writing that he, "hoped to meet the Vietnamese physicians interested in taking an active role in the project, not only to recruit candidates for genital surgery, but also to assist in post-operation treatment (difficult and time consuming), to take part in surgeries and eventually carry out their own."
Tran Mai Anh adopted a newborn infant named Thien Nhan in 2006 after the child was found abandoned in a forest. When found Nhan had his genitals and right leg missing due to being eaten by wild animals. After adopting Nhan, Anh and Craft, who later became Nhan's Godfather, started research into available medical technology suitable to dealing with these types of injuries. Earlier this year, they met surgeon De Castro, who successfully operated on Nhan.
During their research, Anh and Craft met many Vietnamese children suffering from the same genital deficiencies as Nhan and were inspired to establish a foundation in order to help these unlucky children lead better lives. — VNS