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It's a great story, which takes place in Brazil: a retired doctor is devoted to the poor. A beautiful inspiring example!
Brazil is a country where many children are born well below the poverty line. Therefore, getting treatment is almost impossible when you come from a modest family.
Faced with this, beautiful stories of solidarity are born.
This is the case in the region of Parana, the most southerly of Brazil. There, a retired pediatrician decided to act for the poorest and this despite his venerable age: 92 years!
Doctor Ivan Fontoura has a long career as a pediatrician behind him. He even served as Secretary of State for Health in the 1970s, with special emphasis on mother and child programs. When he retired, he missed his job.
With his wife, a nurse by profession, they decided to work for the most disadvantaged by coming to take care of free children who could not access healthcare.
They took this joint decision out of passion for medicine and the desire to continue helping their neighbor: “Medicine is a good addiction, you know! We are happy to help these people in a difficult situation and more so when things are going well " says the pediatrician, who adds "I'm 92 years and 8 months old, that counts! We get up in pain, but coming to work and having fun makes my pain disappear as the day goes on ".
His example inspires: his son and some of his grandchildren have also decided to go into medicine, following in his footsteps. His brother, a popular actor in Brazil, also paid tribute to him in an Instagram post, testifying to “The extraordinary example of love for one's neighbor” what his brother is.
Dr Ivan Fontoura has always known his vocation, from the age of 4. His passion for others and his dedication have earned him many professional honors. Yet he says: “I have won enough in financial terms. Today, I am only gaining satisfaction. For me, being a doctor is that ".
Doctors like Ivan Fontoura, there have been others, whom the cinema has portrayed for some. This is the case with Doctor Jack Preger, who inspired the film "The City of Joy". This man, who later became a doctor at the age of 42, roamed the Bengladian and then Indian slums until the end of his life to treat the poorest free of charge.
More broadly, all around the world, passionate doctors of all ages are dedicated to their patients. Let’s hope that this fine example will give birth to many other vocations!