Dr. Lazarus’s Medical Mission to Moldova

You went where? That’s the way most people respond when they hear about Dr. Lazarus’s recent trip to teach vitreoretinal surgery in Moldova.

The Republic of Moldova is a small country sandwiched between Romania and the Ukraine. Moldova was originally part of Romania, but was annexed by the Soviet Union during World War II. In August 1991, Moldova became an independent country with a democratic system of government. This independence caused substantial economic hardship to its 4 million citizens as the country was dependent on Soviet energy and resources. The lack of resources and limited opportunity for physician training severely strained the healthcare system in Moldova.

As part of a program administrated by the University of Louisville Pediatrics foundation to bring new knowledge and technology to ophthalmologists in Moldova, Dr. Lazarus, a retinal specialist, visited Moldova to share his skills and knowledge with less experienced colleagues there. Dr. Lazarus began planning for his trip in March months in advance, seeking donations from a number of ophthalmic companies. Through their generosity he was able to bring state-of-the-art microsurgical instrumentation, an ophthalmic laser, an operating room microscope video system, medications, and miscellaneous supplies. Fortunately, Dr. Lazarus was able to get through customs in Moldova carrying eight pieces of luggage without a hitch!

In Moldova, Dr. Lazarus worked closely with Dr. Angela Corduneanu, the retinal specialist at the University Hospital in Chisinau, the capital city of Moldova.Due to the unavailability of preventive care many of the patients he examined had advanced difficult to treat disease requiring complex surgical procedures.These were performed with Dr. Corduneanu demonstrating the use of the new surgical equipment.

Dr. Lazarus says, “Given the number of patients needing treatment in Moldova, it’s hard for us in the United States to comprehend the magnitude of the problem.Missions like this are only a beginning but will lay the foundation for improved healthcare and quality of life for those in desperate need.”

Dr Corduneanu is currently in Louisville working with Dr. Lazarus and other local retinal surgeons.Dr. Lazarus looks forward to her visit and hopes to maintain a lifelong relationship with his colleagues in Moldova.He also looks forward to other opportunities to bring his skills and knowledge to those in need.