First Interplast Mission to Laos Continues Oscar-Winning International Plastic Surgery Effort to Help Kids OAKLAND, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--June 2, 1998--In the midst of the glitter and glamour of the 1998 Academy Awards, millions of viewers were also introduced to the doctors and nurses of Interplast. A nonprofit organization providing free reconstructive surgery to children, Interplast draws physicians and nurses from across the country to provide a vital -- yet often overlooked -- need for surgery for children with cleft lips and palates or disabling burn scars. Volunteers sponsored by the Mountain View, Calif.-based Interplast recently completed their first mission to Laos, where dozens of successful surgeries were performed. The 1998 Oscar for best short documentary went to A Story of Healing, a film that highlights the crying need for reconstructive surgery in less-developed countries and features the work of Interplast's volunteer doctors and nurses in Vietnam. "Wherever we go, one thing is always true: parents care about their kids. It's a truth that transcends all political distinctions and cultural differences," noted Paul Quintana, M.D., a hospital-based pediatrician at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center. Quintana, who joined the mission to the Mittathaba Hospital in Vientiane, Laos, is a veteran of over 25 Interplast missions to countries in Central and South America and Southeast Asia. Susan Bruch, MSN PNP, pediatric nurse practitioner at the Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center, nursing instructor at DeAnza College, and veteran of almost a dozen Interplast trips to Latin America and Asia, agrees. "The Laotians are sweet and gentle people," said Bruch, who joined the mission to Laos, "and they are wonderfully good parents. The whole family moves into the hospital to attend to their child during and after surgery. Laotian fathers and grandfathers are every bit as affectionate and caring as mothers and grandmothers. It's a very touching thing to see." Like all Interplast participants, Dr. Quintana and Nurse Bruch received no compensation for two weeks they spent working in Laos, and they paid their own living expenses while there. "We lived pretty much the way the Laotian people do," Bruch said. The work is grueling, too, with 12- to 15-hour days standard. "We want to do as many surgeries as possible in the limited time we're there," Dr. Quintana said. "On this trip we performed approximately 85 procedures on 60 patients. My job on the team is to prepare the children for surgery and monitor their recovery afterward." In addition to providing reconstructive procedures, Interplast builds training for local medical personnel into each trip, so that good work continues to be done even after Interplast has left. "We've been lucky to have dozens of volunteers from Kaiser Permanente," said Mary Spillane, Interplast's communications coordinator. "They're part of our extensive grassroots network, which now represents about 1,000 doctors and nurses nationwide." More information about Interplast is available from the organization, which is located at 300-B Pioneer Way, Mountain View, CA 94041; 650/962-0123, fax 650/962-1619; www.interplast.org. Interplast will host a public screening of the Oscar- winning film A Story of Healing at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Monday, June 29, at 8:00 P.M. Tickets are $25. Guests will enjoy a reception immediately following the screening. All proceeds benefit Interplast. To purchase tickets, call 650/903-6000. Kaiser Permanente, California, is a prepaid, group practice health maintenance organization (HMO) serving more than 5.5 million members throughout the state. More than 7,000 Permanente Medical Group physicians in both The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) in Northern California and the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG), as well as 55,300 Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals employees, provide care to Health Plan members. There are 26 major medical centers organized into 12 service areas throughout California. Vietnam Buries Army Generals Killed in Air Crash HANOI (June 2) XINHUA - A state funeral was held here Tuesday for the 14 members of a high-ranking Vietnamese military delegation who were killed in an aircraft crash on May 25 in Laos. The 14 victims included Deputy Defense Minister and Chief of the General Staff of the Army Dao Trong Lich, and Commander of Military Zone II Tran Tat Thanh. All the delegation members, who were on a visit to Laos, were killed in the accident when the Russian-made Yak-40 aircraft crashed into a mountain in Xiengkhouang province in northern Laos. The crash was "due to bad weather," Lao official news agency KPL reported. The crash also killed the another 13 people on board. Sultan of Brunei Visits Laos HANOI (May 28) XINHUA - The heads of state of Laos and Brunei have agreed to set up a joint commission for economic, technical, cultural, educational, and sports cooperation to promote bilateral ties, the official Lao news agency KPL reported Thursday. The agreement was reached during a meeting between Lao President Khamtay Siphandone and the visiting Sultan of Brunei Muda Hassanal Bolkiah who arrived in Vientiane from Vietnam on Wednesday for his first official visit to Laos. During their talks, the two covered financial crises in southeast Asia, which have had an impact on the two countries "at a certain level," KPL said. On regional issues, the two leaders expressed the hope that "under the leadership of President Habibie, Indonesia would soon return to normal life, restore the national economy and contribute to the prosperity and strength of the region." They hoped the election in Cambodia to be held in July would be successful and reiterated the support of Laos and Brunei to get Cambodia admitted into ASEAN soon. The Sultan of Brunei also met with Lao Vice President Oudom Khattigna and Prime Minister Sisavat Keobounphanh. Bolkiah is scheduled to leave Laos on Friday. Thai foreign minister to visit Laos in early June BANGKOK, May 28 (Kyodo) -- Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan will make his first official visit to Laos on June 2-4 to discuss bilateral economic and political cooperation, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday. Surin will meet with Laotian Foreign Minister Somsavat Lengsavat on Tuesday and with Prime Minister Sisavat Keobounphanh the following day. The sides will discuss the drafting of four joint economic master plans in the fields of electricity, agriculture, transportation and investment. Border demarcation will also be discussed, the spokesman said. The construction of a second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge linking the Thai province of Mukdaharn and Laos' Savannakhet will also be discussed because Japan's Overseas Economic Cooperation Foundation, which is to provide loans for construction, has proposed a change in the planned site. Thailand and Laos have already agreed to the change, but want to discuss the construction in more detail. The first Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge linking Thai province of Nong Khai and Laos' Vientiane has been open since 1994 to facilitate trade and investment between the two countries. Thailand has become the top foreign investor in Laos with more than 200 projects worth 2.67 billion U.S. dollars, according to the Foreign Ministry. Surin will convey a letter from Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai inviting the Laotian prime minister to visit Thailand.