BEAR Saves Lives

Alpharetta, GA, USA, 2017-Oct-10 — /EPR Network/ — The Bhutan Emergency Aeromedical Retrieval (BEAR) team has been awarded the Medical Humanitarian Award.  Established and presented by Boston Biopharma, a USA-based pharmaceutical company that specializes in generic medications, the award aims to identify and recognize exceptional new healthcare programs that impact the lives of patients in underserved areas around the globe. The award was presented to Dr. Charles Haviland Mize, MD, and the Bhutan Emergency Aeromedical Retrieval team (BEAR) for their volunteer efforts in helping save lives in Bhutan, on October 2nd 2017. In addition to the award, and in response to the Bhutan Foundation’s campaign for funding, BEAR will be receiving a donation from Boston Biopharma to help further expand the program with much needed medical equipment.

Dr. Mize worked with the Royal Government of Bhutan’s Ministry of Health, Royal Bhutan Helicopter Services and Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) to develop the Bhutan Aeromedical Retrieval Team (BEAR.) The aim of BEAR is to provide cutting-edge resuscitation and critical obstetric care to patients in remote parts of Bhutan including the Himalayas.  The team is trained to respond to emergency evacuations in extreme altitudes using a high-performance helicopter equipped with an intensive care unit to transport patients safely to hospitals.

The idea of BEAR was born in 2016 when the life of a patient with a treatable injury could not be saved because he arrived too late to the hospital. Many such incidences have been occurring throughout the country. Since its inception in May 2017, the program has been an incredible success saving 53 patients across the country. The BEAR team responds to all life-threatening emergencies and provides elite trauma and medical resuscitation to patientsin district hospitals or on site as required.

The BEAR team was initially led by Dr. Mize and emergency nurses Lhab Dorji and Kiran Diyali . Three more doctors and two emergency nurses have joined the team led by Dr. Ugyen Tshering and Dr. Sona Pradhan at the JDWNRH emergency department. BEAR could not be possible without the support and collaboration of the Bhutan Foundation, the Emergency Medical Services Division under the Health Ministry and the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH).

Additionally, Dr. Mize will be returning to Bhutan in October 2017 to further develop a high-altitude mountain rescue program for Bhutan. He will continue in his positions as Head of Bhutan Emergency Aeromedical Retrieval and Head of Resuscitation at JDWNRH. The BEAR team will also be ensuring the sustainability of the life-savingprogram by helping train Bhutanese physicians and nurses.

“Dr. Mize’s efforts represent the selfless dedication to serve patients and save lives,” said Ahmad Hashem, MD, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at Boston Biopharma. “We are honored to support his work and the Bhutan Foundation to provide needed medical equipment. We are also exploring options to workwith the Bhutan Cancer Society to provide anti-cancer medications to the country.”

Dr. Mize is an emergency medicine physician who completed his Emergency Medicine Residency at George Washington University in Washington D.C., his medical degree at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons,and his undergraduate degree from Yale University.  For the past year, he has volunteered at the Jigme Dorji National Referral Hospital in Thimphu, Bhutan in collaboration with the Bhutan Foundation and Health Volunteers Overseas to help improve emergency medical services in Bhutan.

Boston Biopharma is a US company focused on the development of generic pharmaceuticals, and is dedicated to furthering excellence in healthcare. The company began administering this award with the goal of raising the awareness of healthcare organizations and individuals who go beyond the ordinary in providing care to populations in underserved areas. To date, the company has launched 12 sophisticated oncology products and has operations in America, Europe (Malta), Turkey, Iraq, Algeria, and Ukraine.

Contact:

 

Terry Clark, MD

+1-435-602-9767

tclark@bostonbiopharma.com

www.bostonbiopharma.com