For about 25 years, local medical professionals Mukul and Neelima Parikh used vacation time and personal funds to take medical mission trips to developing countries that don’t have the resources that many Americans take for granted.
Three years ago, the Parikhs decided “it was time to expand” on those overseas missions and founded Operation Medical, a charitable organization that provides medical services otherwise unattainable in some countries.
“You always have some interest in doing something like this. Our youngest son was in college, so we had time to do it,” noted Mukul Parikh, director of anesthesia at PinnacleHealth West Shore Hospital and president of the Dauphin County Medical Association.
To the Harrisburg area’s medical community, Mukul and Neelima Parikh are familiar names.
They began practicing anesthesiology at West Shore Anesthesia and Riverside Anesthesia Associates after moving to the area in 1984. Mukul Parikh also has served as chairman of the anesthesia department at PinnacleHealth System and president of Central Penn Anesthesia. Neelima Parikh served as the first female president of the Hindu American Religious Institute and remains on its board of directors.
Somewhere between all of this, the couple began organizing overseas medical missions. They have worked in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, all while raising sons Ankur and Anuj, who are now surgeons also participating in mission work. They founded Operation Medical in 2013.
Based in Harrisburg, Operation Medical is comprised of trained medical professionals “committed to promoting and providing high-quality medical care and education” to under-served communities abroad, according to its website.
In the three years since the organization’s founding, volunteers have undertaken several mission trips to Haiti, India and Malawi. The next planned trip is to Kasturba Hospital in Valsad, India this month, followed by another journey abroad in March.
“We don’t just stabilize patients, we change their lives,” said Diana Davidson, Operation Medical’s president-elect who also works as a certified registered nurse anesthetist at Holy Sprit Hospital.
The most urgent need at the mission sites is generalized healthcare, she said, but some countries also sorely lack surgeons, oncologists and other specialists.
“There are conditions in these countries that you don’t see in the U.S. because they’re usually resolved in the U.S.,” said Mary Jensick, secretary/treasurer and former executive director of Operation Medical.
There’s always been a lot of emphasis put on AIDS in developing countries, but some nations also lack basic medical infrastructure, she said. For instance, in Malawi, an African country of 14 million, the World Health Organization estimates there is one doctor for every 40,000 people
Operation Medical’s goal is to provide surgeons and training for medical staff, as well as treating and educating patients about health issues.
“The biggest bang for the buck would come if you could educate the people about health,” Mukul Parikh said. “There’s also a tremendous need for surgery because there’s not enough surgeons. We do the surgery that no one else wants to do and that changes people’s lives.”
The Parikhs emphasized that Operation Medical is always in need of cash donations to purchase, store and transport medical supplies, equipment and pharmaceuticals. In addition, there are other opportunities to volunteer with the organization.
“We just want people to know about us,” Mukul Parikh said. “They can help in our warehouse, donate items from local hospitals, give drug donations or come with us.”
To learn more about and to donate to Operation Medical, visit www.operationmedical.org. Phone donations are accepted at 717-685-9199. The organization also accepts donations of medical supplies, equipment and pharmaceuticals from hospitals, nursing homes, doctor’s offices, medical suppliers and pharmaceutical companies.
Ed. Note: Last month, Operation Medical’s Diana Davidson, who was interviewed for this story, passed away suddenly following a tragic accident. TheBurg would like to extend our sympathies to her family, friends and colleagues.
Author: Phyllis Zimmerman
