IRVINE, Calif. -- Sixteen people in Orange County received free surgeries this weekend at the Kaiser Hospital in Irvine, KNBC's Doug Kriegel reported Monday.

Consulting physician Dr. Loan Le donated her services this weekend, working for no pay.

"I think it allows physicians to give back to the community rather than going to a Third World country," Le said.

Le spent part of her career providing free medical care to needy families in Vietnam where her parents come from. She said that nowadays, many people in America are also unable to pay for medical care that is desperately needed.

"Many of these people are full-time working people, who don't have the luxury of insurance," said Dr. Lillian Estrada-Linder, one of the surgeons who donated her skills free of charge this weekend.

One of the patients, Jorge Navarro of Costa Mesa, had a severe hernia problem that caused him to leave college. He was unable to afford the needed surgery.

Thanks to pro-bono work of physicians and surgeons at the Irvine hospital, Navarro is now able to return to school and work.