What We Do
Follow-Up Appointments
CURE ensures children are cared for through all stages of recovery.
Continued Care for Complete Healing
Once a child has surgery, they are scheduled for follow-up appointments so doctors can monitor their recovery—at no cost to patients and their families. Many times these appointments occur at mobile clinics near the patient’s home, where doctors:
CURE is dedicated to providing continued comprehensive care for every child we serve. That means we walk alongside children and their caregivers throughout every step of the journey—from check-in to discharge to follow-up care and beyond.
Thank you, CURE, for helping me to have a better leg ... I can live my life fully, and I am ready to achieve my goal of becoming a doctor!"
—Aubrey, Malawi
More About Follow-Up Appointments
Follow-up appointments allow our medical team to track a patient’s progress after surgery, ensure they are adhering to important care instructions, answer any lingering questions, and make adjustments to their treatment plan if needed. Complications can occur in the weeks and months after treatment, so follow-up appointments help detect issues earlier for the best possible outcomes. Follow-up appointments also might involve other hospital departments as part of a patient’s overall recovery, such as physical therapy, diagnostic testing, and prosthetics and orthotics. Since the recovery period can be physically and emotionally challenging for patients, follow-up appointments are also important touchpoints where spiritual ministry support is offered.
The concept of follow-up appointments highlights CURE’s emphasis on providing high-quality care. We’re working to counter the perception that care provided in low- and middle-income countries is second-class or lesser than what patients receive in the US. We strive to provide exceptional, high-quality care—including follow-up care—comparable to what a patient would receive in developed countries anywhere in the world. We at CURE care about our patients, and we want them to receive the care they need to heal from life-limiting disabilities and live full, independent lives.
Returning to the hospital can be a major challenge for families who live far away. To ensure our patients get the follow-up care they need, we work with partner organizations that offer transportation services to and from the hospitals in the areas where we serve. Also, if there is a quality medical facility closer to them that can provide adequate follow-up care (for example, physical therapy), we can refer patients there. This is why CURE focuses on training medical workers in local communities—so more healthcare professionals are spread throughout the country who can provide surgical and follow-up care so that patients don’t have to travel to CURE if they live far away. We also work hard to meet patients where they are by holding mobile clinics in remote areas to provide basic medical care and follow-up services.