Flying Doctors Medical Mission, Bahia Tortugas 

Bahia Tortugas is a tiny fishing village on the western coast of Baja, CA, and home to about two thousand people who are served by one doctor and his “pasante” or intern. They have limited medical facilities, no functioning operating room, and none of the advanced diagnostic equipment we in the United States consider standard such as an MRI.

The dry, dusty desert town is exactly ten and a half hours’ drive south of Ensenada and ten and a half hours’ drive north of La Paz, so medical care seems impossibly far away in either direction. This is where Los Médicos Voladores (The Flying Doctors) step in.

Dr. Eric Stuffmann of Golden State Orthopedics & Spine is a commercial-certificated pilot in addition to being an orthopedic surgeon. He and physician assistant Stephen Powers participate in Flying Doctors medical missions. In addition to providing medical care, Steve uses his Spanish fluency to help translate.

Being able to fly in small, private planes means medical providers can get very close to small, isolated villages that are less accessible by road. On this trip, they were able to land close enough to walk into the village. A village so small that the doctors gave cortisone injections to the arthritic knees of a woman in her early 80s, and two hours later, the guard for their airplane called to thank them for taking such good care of his mom!

The mission’s goals are two-fold: Build relationships with the local medical community, and provide support, education, and treatment for acute and chronic conditions common to the local population.

A typical day starts at the crack of dawn with Steve, a fitness enthusiast, taking members of the healthcare team and local population to the park for some exercise. The team then meets for breakfast to fuel up for a full day treating patients.

Musculoskeletal issues, including arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, back and neck pain, sore knees, and rotator cuff injuries are common, but the people in these communities don’t have the same access to medical care, so their injuries and chronic pain may go untreated.

For many chronic joint problems, physical therapy is indicated, but there are no physical therapists. This is where technology can help. Remote though they may be, they have cell phones, computers, and the internet, and YouTube has videos. Doctors can show patients how to access physical therapy videos they can use to guide their recovery.

“It takes about three months to prepare for a mission,” says Dr. Stuffmann. “We collect donated supplies and coordinate with doctor-pilots and the treatment teams, which may include dentists, hygienists, an internist, translators, and healthcare assistants.”

Missions usually begin with the flight out on Thursday. They go to work immediately upon arrival Thursday evening to set up their working space. They treat patients all day Friday and Saturday, and on fly home on Sunday.

When asked about a memorable patient, Dr Stuffmann recalled an 86-year-old woman who came into the clinic with shoulder pain from daily making fresh tortillas. After being treated, she invited the doctors home for lunch featuring her fresh, homemade tortillas! “We don’t always get to see what caused the pain,” Dr Stuffmann said. “But it makes us feel good to be able to treat it.” Asked what he would tell other physicians about Flying Doctors, he says: “Do it! You’ll be reminded why you got into medicine to begin with.” Dr. Stuffmann and Steve are appreciative of the camaraderie and support of Bill, Wayne, Larry, and others whose shoulders they stand upon to be able to participate in this.