Our Club as a pioneer
Hypospadias surgeries need support but funding is still far away. Here a short introduction. We welcome any suggestion from individuals, companies and organizations.
Rotary in China has always strived to be a pioneer in tackling health and social issues, when Chinese society was still reluctant or unable to deal with the issues, sometimes for reasons of stigma, indifference and lack of public and private interest.
Once government and society take the right measures, Rotary then leaves it to the local entities to continue the good work.
One of those major programs started time ago is GOL, the Gift of Life.
Gift of Life (GOL)
Children’s heart surgery program (congenital heart disease) for underprivileged children. More than 400 surgeries have been done since 2000 by our Club.
Donation of a medical bus to Zhengzhou No. 7 Hospital, Henan and a medical van to Hebei Children’s hospital for screening countryside children. Since 2011, the GOL outreach program has screened more than 1800 children in Henan province on average a year and provided over 800 surgeries of which more than 50 surgeries received financial sponsorship from the Rotary Club. In 2013 using the cardiac sonogram equipment and medical van donated, the Hebei Shijiazhuang Children’s Hospital screened 3055 children in 42 counties and identified 564 children who needed surgery. In 2014, Hebei has screened even more children and diagnosed more children with heart defects that need surgeries.
Hypospadias and its stigma
Hypospadias surgeries need support, see here an insight into the disease, what it is and the situation in Hebei Province in particular.
Please note the content of the presentation is graphic and not suitable for sensitive souls. It is one of the reasons the disease suffers from the stigma – people don’t want to even talk about it..
Hypospadias forms a male organ that not only doesn’t work well but also doesn’t look normal.
See also: Hypospadias – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypospadias
What is Hypospadias
Rising Incidences of Hypospadias Defects
- About 50,000 boys are born each year with hypospadias defects.
- The rate is 1/300 and rising.
- Chinese boys are often inflicted with the more severe type III or IV of the defects.
Those children:
- Wet their pants and have to urinate squatting down.
- Can’t marry or procreate.
As a result, many are,
- Abandoned by parents.
- Growing up they are often marginalized or ridiculed.
- Have low self-esteem and many committed suicide.
Causes for the rising epidemics are:
- Environmental factors including rampant use of pesticide, DDT and hormone.
- Over 3000 boys are born with defect each year in Hebei, a major agricultural province.
Current Situation,
- Multiple and specialized surgeries are required.
- 70% of the first surgery cost is covered by the rural co-op health plan but only 30% of the second or further surgeries is covered.
- No charity or foundations cover this type of defects because of cultural inhibitions.
- Inexperienced or sub-standard surgeries make worse an already difficult phenomena.
- Surgeries are best performed between age 18 months to 3 years of age, before they start schooling.
- Treatment often involves multiple surgeries and can cause complications,
Hebei Shijiazhuang Pediatric Hospital will include hypospadias in the GOL outreach program by:
- Sending pediatric urologist surgeons to the rural areas to examine children with the defects.
- Educating families about seeking medical treatment and from experts.
- Providing clinical training to rural county surgeons.
Our Rotary Club of Beijing is now looking how it can assist in the matter.
