Doctors storm Davao Oriental to save lives, give hope to poor
By FERDINAND ZUASOLA
CITY OF MATI, DAVAO ORIENTAL— It’s raining doctors in Davao Oriental, but not the kind who cater only to the privileged class. They are the kind of medical doctors who have a strong sense of mission and sense of purpose, charging not even a single centavo for their services to the penniless patients here who suffers from various serious illnesses brought about mainly by abject poverty in the countryside. Truly, their heart bleeds for the poor, the only motivation that made them to come to Davao Oriental in droves.
On invitation of Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon, the medical doctors numbering about fifty coming from various government and private hospitals in the country, some of them came from abroad, have participated the recently concluded five-day Provincial Surgical Mission held in the City of Mati.
The big surgical mission, the third of its kind so far here, is being sponsored by the provincial government of Davao Oriental. Hundreds of patients, majority of them Mandaya natives who came from highly impoverished villages in the province, have trooped to the provincial government-run Davao Oriental Provincial Hospital where the five-day surgical mission was held.
Aside from availing of free surgical procedure and free medicines, Gov. Malanyaon have also provided indigent patients who live in far-flung municipalities with free transportation, meals and accomodation during the whole duration of the surgical mission. Residents from the far-flung municipalities of Boston, Cateel and Banganga, for instance, would have to travel a long eight hours to reach the City of Mati, the capital of Davao Oriental, where a big government hospital is.
“You will not be shelling out even a single centavo for the surgical procedures and medicines. All this is for free and this is for you, my beloved constituents, who can hardly afford the cost of medicines and services of private hospitals. And we greatly owe this meaningful endeavor to the medical doctors who enthusiastically and tirelessly participated in the surgical mission. They come from various private and government hospitals in the country. Their heart really bleeds for the poor. They are offering their services for free. May their tribe grow,” says Davao Oriental Gov. Malanyaon.
Gov. Malanyaon says the surgical mission is “truly a big blessing” for the poor people of Davao Oriental, citing the fact that surgical procedures for illnesses like hydrocoelectomy and herniorraphy, for instance, would each cost at least P100,000 in private hospitals.
According to health officer Dr. Joy Sanico, a total of 309 indigent patients benefited from the five-day surgical mission. A bulk of the patients who underwent surgical procedures were those who have cyst, numbering 154, followed by those stricken with cataract numbering 43; pterygium 4; hemagioma, 3; cholecystectomy, 1; thyroglossal cyst, 1; cleft lip and palate, 30; herniorraphy, 19; hydrocoelectomy, 12; vaginal hysterectomy, 1; total abdominal hysterectomy with right salphingo oophorectomy (TAHBSO), 10; total abdominal hysterectomy with right salphingo oophorectomy (TAHRSO), 3; total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH), 3; right salphingo oophorectomy (RSO), 1; simple cyst vulva labia minora, 1; and oopherectomy, 1.
Dr. Sanico said that most of the illnesses suffered by indigent patients here can be fatal if not treated immediately and properly and that it would cost the poor patients a fortune if the surgical procedures were done outside the surgical mission.
“That’s why we are deeply grateful to have leaders with a heart like Governor Cora Malanyaon who tirelessly care for the poor who badly needs the government’s help for their mesirable plight. And she has been doing this (surgical mission) for three consecutive years even though it is so costly on the part of the provincial government to sponsor this kind of event. She knows that this kind of endeavor truly make a huge difference to the lives of the poor, saving and changing their lives for the better by giving them hope through this kind of meaningful endeavor,” says Dr. Joy Sanico.
GRATEFUL PATIENTS
For six-year-old Jhon Bryan Noble who has a cleft palate, the surgical mission will greatly help him to achieve his dream of becoming a famous singer in the country someday. “Thanks God it’s over. I am so happy now. My peers will now stop ridiculing me for my condition. I will become a great singer in the country,” says Jhon Bryan Noble after his successful surgical operation here. “I will now live a normal and happy life.”
56-year-old Diomedes Peros, a patient with hernia, has traveled a long eight hours from his home town of Boston to the City of Mati to avail of the free surgical operation. “May our God Almighty bless our governor and all these kind and selfless doctors and nurses with a long, happy life. They save our precious lives even though we have no money to pay for their great services. They give us a new hope, may they be blessed by God with more strength and prosperity so they will continue to save precious lives, especially the lives of the poor people like me,” says Peros.