MASCOTA HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN

Located in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, La Mascota is the premier pediatric hosptial in the country. It has 257 beds and provides services in 23 pediatric subspecialties.

While the Nicaraguan Government is able to provide basic medical services to all of its citizens, the level of care we take for granted in the United States is not available there. Due to a limitation of funds, the state provides pediatric surgery only for life threatening illnesses but not for congenital deformities that can greatly limit quality of life. Norfolk-based Operation Smile provides expert care for cleft lip and palate patients, but deformities of other parts of the body go untreated in the great majority of affected children in Nicaragua.

This is where La Merced answers a need. La Merced provides general plastic and reconstructive surgeries for children with other types for deformities. These include but are not limited to hemangiomas, lymphatic malformations, cysts, burn scar contractures, and hand deformities.

The medical professionals at Mascota have been very helpful. Dr. Geraldo Mejia, medical director of Mascota, has provided La Merced two operating rooms for three days for missions in 2008 and 2009. Dr. Armonodo Siu, plastic surgeon and award-winning member of Operating Smile, has partnered with La Merced in planning the operative days and performing some of the procedures. Dr. Arguello-Castillo, now an attending plastic surgeon at Mascota, has done the same. In addition, Dr. Argurello-Costillo has been selecting the patients and providing the post-op care.