MRI Humanitarian Mission

June 19, 2009

Humanitarian Mission

On June 19th 2009, the US Embassy received a MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine from the Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri, to be donated to the FULTRA Foundation (Fundación de Lucha Contra los Trastornos Neurológicos y Psiquiátricos en Minorías) in the province of Salta, Argentina. This donation will be used in medical diagnosis and research. The MRI equipment was airlifted to Argentina by the U.S. Air Force under the Denton Program of the U.S State Department. The donation was received by the director of the Foundation, Mr. Claudio Francisco de Erausquin. Upon arrival in Ezeiza International Airport, the final component of the MRI machine, consisting of a large magnet and its associated electronics, was transported to Salta by the Argentine Army to be installed at the Military Hospital "Cirujano Mayor Joaquín Díaz Bedoya"

The primary beneficiaries will be the native communities of the Northwestern region of Argentina, who will have access, free of charge, to this MRI service. The indigenous population in Jujuy is between 300,000 and 400,000. There is currently no MRI scanner in this region of South America. FULTRA and a group of researchers from Washington University of Medicine will ensure adequate levels of expertise in the use of the equipment. FULTRA, along with a local public hospital, will also expand the range of beneficiaries to the community at very low cost.