title: Padova Hospitale Onlus: report of a 15-year experience in surgical and medical assistance in developing countries.
abstract: Nowadays, an urgent need for global medical cooperation and assistance still bears on health care providers. Because plastic, reconstructive, and aesthetic surgery is a surgical specialty with social purposes, the humanitarian importance of the discipline is, nowadays, stronger than ever. Padova Hospitale Onlus is a nonprofit charity association with the aim to ensure sustainable medical programs, in particular in the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery. The activity of the association in fund-raising strategies, volunteer enrollment, and operative strategies has been reviewed and reported to stimulate further collaboration, emulation, and contributions. Since 1996, the association has assisted over 20,000 people during 50 missions over the 5 continents, performing more than 2000 surgical operations and almost 8000 medical examination, involving more than 320 volunteers, supplying health care material or health care facilities. Furthermore, a high rate of surgical records and of medical assistance has been performed in the last 2 years, depicting a positive rising trend of activity. However, scarce financial means, absence of a structured coordination, and/or cooperation between associations may often affect the long-term sustainability of these interventions. Thus, only an experienced and structured association may grant the required resources to sustain adequate and fruitful short-term or long-term projects for the promotion of a humanitarian cooperation as much "demand driven" as possible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Semplicini
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vindigni
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giatsidis
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiarelli
mesh_terms: D000533:Altruism; D002608:Charities; D003906:Developing Countries; D005653:Fund Raising; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008493:Medical Missions; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014838:Volunteers