Dear Scalpel friends and family,
At Scalpel part of our Vision is to, “Serve the physical and spiritual needs of Pucallpan Peruvians, tribal populations, and the missionaries who serve them”. In doing so, sometimes difficult decisions have to be made. As an organization, we have decided to suspend our previously planned April campaign due to COVID-19. We have been closely monitoring the situation and while Peru is not widely affected we are heeding the warning of the CDC and Department of Health to restrict travel. Also, we have been in contact with our partner hospital, Hospital Amazonico, and they too have decided to limit medical operations to better prepare for the developing situation. We are still working closely with airlines and other affiliate partners to work out the best-case scenario for team members who were scheduled to travel. The situation is unfolding and a lot of questions remain. We ask for patience and prayers as we work tirelessly to resolve all issues.
As you know, Scalpel has been serving the Pucallpan community for over 15 years and our resolve and dedication continue. While the future is uncertain we know that God is sovereignly in control. In the interim, we are working closely with Peruvian staff to monitor patients we intended to see and serve. We trust that as the situation unfolds and normalcy is established we will be able to take teams down in August and October. As always we continue to strive to live out our mission of being a gift of hope, light, and surgery to the Amazon region of Peru.
For more questions about COVID-19, you can visit the CDC website.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
For a global perspective on COVID-19, you can also visit the World Health Organization website.
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
