Over the Years

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Over the Years

Medical Doctor from Santa Cruz Hospital in Brazil

HICARE invited a doctor from the Santa Cruz Hospital in Brazil for one month of training at Hiroshima University Hospital.

Name and Position:

Debora Mery Oka
General Practitioner at Santa Cruz Hospital

Period:

March 4 to March 25, 2005

Main Host Organization:

Hiroshima University Hospital

Training Course:

Course on diagnosis of radiation disorders (General Internal Medicine)

Training Scene: Hiroshima University Hospital

Impressions:

My grandfather and grandmother left Japan for Brazil before the Second World War. Even though they could not tell me of the disaster of the A-bombing in 1945, I had opportunities to learn of it from history books. That being said, I have felt that the history of Hiroshima has a deeper meaning, beyond that contained within history texts.

Staying in Hiroshima, I studied numerous medical techniques for the treatment of Atomic bomb survivors. Beyond that however, I began to understand the suffering and difficulties that survivors face even to this day.

I was deeply impressed by HICARE’s world-wide promotion of knowledge and medical support, based, of course, on their numerous past achievements with regards to Atomic Bomb survivors and radiation disease research.

I would like to sincerely thank the hospitals and institutes for their warm welcome. I will never forget the chances that have been given to me in Hiroshima.

Medical Activities in Brazil:

In Brazil, I work as a doctor of internal medicine at two hospitals.

Brigadeiro Hospital
Medical care for out-patients and in-patients; Instruction of interning doctors

Santa Cruz Hospital: Medical care
We receive a lot of Japanese/people of Japanese descent at Santa Cruz Hospital. I often have opportunities to speak Japanese during medical examinations and consultations. Additionally, I participate in several volunteer groups who support the elderly and intellectually disabled.

In October, 2004, I joined a Japanese doctor’s delegation to perform check-ups for Atomic bomb survivors.