July 14, 2010

Typhoon Rips through the Philippines
Causing Widespread Damage.

39 people have been reported dead and at least 84 are missing following a reckless typhoon which destroyed shanty towns and left Manila without electricity. Some slum homes along the coast were completely swept away.

 

 

February 2009

Project Mabuhay

The funds for this mission are from fundraising activities carried out in Vancouver. The medical supplies and equipment used come from donated monies or from generous donations made by drug companies and medical surgical equipment companies such as Alcon Canada, Bausch and Lomb, AMO and Labtician.

This year's team consisted of 23 team members. The majority of the work was in Ilo Ilo at the Western Visayan hospital, but part of the team travelled to Caticlan to the Eta community and others went to Batangas for ENT and audiology clinics and surgeries.

Scope of Mission

• Audiology testing and fitting of hearing aids;
• Vision screening and fitting of eyeglasses;
• Ear, nose and throat surgery and teaching;
• Head and neck surgery (e.g. goitre, cancer);
• Ocular surgery, including cataract, pterygium, glaucoma and retinal surgery;
• Review of the medical needs of the Eta people of Caticlan.

Overview

• The audiology clinic took place in Ilo Ilo. Over 100 patients were screened and approximately 30 were fitted with hearing aids. The audiologist and their team went to Batangas where a similar program was carried out and another 30-40 patients were fitted with donated hearing aids.
• The vision screening program in Ilo Ilo ran at the Western Visayan hospital. Over 1,000 patients were screened and 550 pairs of eyeglasses were fitted by the local optometrist and our team members.
• The Ear, Nose and Throat program was carried out very successfully at Western Visayan hospital. There were two ENT surgeons and they operated on another six cases. We also provided teaching to the ENT residents at Western Visayan hospital and donated approximately $20,000 in supplies and equipment.
• The Head and Neck program made a major contribution to the care of the indigent people and to the teaching of the ENT residents at Western Visayan hospital. Dr. Frank Wong was responsible for this program and they operated on 30 major cases including goitre and cancer surgery.

• The Ocular Surgery program evaluated 350 patients and performed 92 cataract, 10 pterygium, eight retinal, two trauma and one glaucoma surgeries. There were a total of 112 cases where sight was preserved or restored. Over $150,000 worth of supplies and drugs were donated to the hospital, as well as a $12,000 sterilizer.
• With the help of the sisters, the medical team that travelled to Caticlan examined most of the people of the Eta community as well as those located on Boracay. This team has provided us with a good insight into the medical needs of the Eta people and we are formulating plans to assist them in the future. Some of the diseases noted by the medical team were a high incidence of hypertension, middle ear disease and dental pathology.

Summary

This mission was an ambitious undertaking and was successful in caring for over 1,700 patients. 168 surgeries were performed. Both the patients and their families will benefit from improved sight, hearing or treatment of their cancers. We were also very successful in providing teaching to the ophthalmology and ENT residents as well as to the local nursing school students. A total of $195,000 worth of supplies, equipment and drugs were donated for the care of the indigent patients of the region and over 500,000 pesos were spent at the hospital for the evaluation and care of the patients.

We would like to thank Dr. Fermin and his hospital team for their patience and support in permitting such a large and multifaceted project to run at the Western Visayan hospital.

Dr. Hugh Parsons

 

November 2007

By providing training to colleagues in sub-specialties of ENT and ophthalmology, the team leaves behind a lasting legacy of increased care to the people of the region. Further, we have the ability to work closely with colleagues allowing our witness to be seen. Thanks to the generosity of donors, we have also been able to leave the necessary equipment behind.

Summary

The Philippines is a wonderful place to work and the people are always appreciative and receptive of our work. We are so grateful for an excellent team spirit and for the generosity of Philippine friends who contribute so much to our in-country costs. We hope to be able to continue serving the indigent population of the various islands of the Philippines and look forward to exchanging knowledge and experience with the local medical community.

Hugh Parsons, MD, FRCSC, DABO