Bridging Continents…
Building Healthier Communities
PAMA Oroquieta Mission, Philippines – 11 – 17 April 2011
Philippine Australia Medical Association (PAMA)
Hand in hand with Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS)
By Dr. Grace Maano
On the week of 11 – 17 April 2011, 22 RAWCS registered volunteers went to the Philippines to conduct an Annual Health Mission, the fourth of its kind – spearheaded by Philippine Australia Medical Association in partnership with Rotary Club of Gosford West, Rotary Club of Oroquieta Centennial, and Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Volunteer Corps – Philippine General Hospital and the Local Municipal Health Office of Oroquieta, Misamis Occidental Philippines.
Of the 22 volunteers from Australia, there were 10 doctor volunteers, 6 of whom are PAMA Members (Dr. Cecil Rowe, Dr. Ophee de Vera, Dr. Roger Fabian, Dr. Evelyn Icao, Dr. Amabel Harding and Dr. Grace Maano, the last two also Rotarians.
Remarkably, it was the first time for PAMA to have been able to form a foreign surgical team consisting of Dr. Bill Walker (retired Plastic surgeon from Newcastle), Dr. Agnes Molnar (anaesthetist at Westmead Hospital), and Dr. Ricki Sayers (Plastic Surgical Trainee from Melbourne), and attracted foreign GP-volunteer Dr. Charles Hayes and dentist Dr. Paul Hayes to join the mission to the Philippines.
This mission, in cooperation with local medical volunteers had served 1938 patients – 70 of which are life changing major surgeries. These included: cleft lip and palate; repair and burn reconstruction done by our foreign surgical team headed by Dr. Bill Walker; as well as the removal of big goitres (by local ENT team); and large gynaecological tumours (by local gynae team); and restoration of sight through cataract surgeries (by local Ophtha team with Sukob Foundation).
One remarkable case was a one-month old child who had a large cystic hygroma (lump on the neck, in this case substantially large). He was given financial assistance to undergo the much needed life-saving operation in the nearby hospital of Cebu, where the service is available.
To address self-sustainability, this mission not only rendered curative medical and surgical services but likewise conducted Medical and Dental Health Education – held at the gymnasium where patients were waiting to be seen by either a doctor or dentist. Likewise, Basic Life Support (BLS) Training for Nursing and Medical Personnel is being arranged to be held in the next few months training cost to be sponsored by PAMA.
