Abstract
A medical civic assistance program (MEDCAP) visit was conducted by naval reservists in eight villages in Senegal, West Africa. More than 6,000 patients were treated by MEDCAP team members. Medical and dental care, eyeglasses, vitamins, medications, educational material, and mass casualty training were provided. Major challenges confronting the mission were to provide care in makeshift clinics in remote villages in an arduous sub-Saharan climate, where more than one-half of the population lacks adequate public health funding to address basic medical and dental needs. To estimate the economic costs and benefits of the mission, as a guide to future planning, we calculated the total costs of the mission and its economic benefits. Total costs were found to be $502,500. We estimated that the monetary value of the medical services provided was $730,090. Additional nonquantifiable value was created through training and development of military and professional partnerships. In a post-September 11 world, the MEDCAP is an important and cost-effective vehicle to advance U.S. foreign policy in a nonthreatening manner. Countless lasting friendships can be won with bandages and medicines.
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