Operation circumcision held

More than 600 boys were served in the series of operation circumcision (tuli) organized and participated in by the Visayas Primary Health Care Services, Inc. in April and May.

VPHCS staff, volunteers and students of the Gullas College of Medicine rendered the annual summer services in eight communities. They were held in cooperation with the local people’s organizations, local government units (LGU) or other non-government organizations.

Students of Gullas College of Medicine 

in the St. Mary Grace, Talamban circumcision

They included the following, namely:

1. Baclayon, Bohol on April 10 with the LGU of Baclayon and Students Alliance for Community Health Services.

2. Medellin, Cebu - April 25-26 with the Perez Monasque Foundation.

3. Caluasan, Dagohoy, Bohol - April 30 with the local farmers’ organization.

4. Sitio St. Mary Grace, Talamban, Cebu City – May 4 with the St. Mary Grace Neighborhood Association.

5. Tangke, Talisay – May 6 with the Tangke United Fisherfolks Association.

6. Tipolo, Mandaue City – May 9 with the barangay council of Tipolo.

7. Inayawan, Cebu City – May 18 with the Gabriela – Inayawan chapter and Enfants du Mekong Foundation.

8. Bangkal, Lapu-lapu City – May 22 with the Justice and Peace Integrity of Creation – Integrated Development Center.

9. Kinatarcan island, Sta. Fe, Cebu - May 25-26 with the Sto. Nino Basilica Foundation.

 Circumcision in the town cultural center in Baclayon, Bohol

 Nearly 100 boys were served in Caluasan, Dagohoy

 Boys in St. Mary Grace. Talamban awaiting their turn

 Volunteers in the Tangke, Talisay circumcision

Circumcision in Tipolo, Mandaue City 

organized by the local government unit

MedSaves formed

An organization of medical students was recently formed as an offshoot of the series of circumcision missions organized by the VPHCS this summer. 

Gullas College of Medicine students 

in a circumcision mission in Tipolo, Mandaue City, May 9

The Medical Students Association for Voluntary and Exemplary Services (MedSaves) is composed of students from the Gullas College of Medicine who volunteered in the circumcision missions rendered for the residents in urban poor communities in Cebu, Mandaue and Talisay.

 A pose after the circumcision in Tipolo

Their website can be visited through https://www.facebook.com/groups/376703055780412/?fref=ts. 

 

Homeopathy and acupuncture services

The VPHCS was honored this May with the visit of two additional members of the Solidarite Homeopathie (SH) in France.

Angie Gottke, a German homeopath practitioner and Maxime Bousquet, a French acupuncturist came to Cebu with German homeopathic doctor Dr. Norbert Enders in a mission of the SH to render their services for the community-based health programs (CBHP) of VPHCS in Cebu.

Homeopaths Angie Gottke and Dr. Norbert Enders 

in a homeopathic clinic in St. Mary Grace, Talamban

French acupuncturist Maxime Bousquet 

renders acupuncture to a patient in St. Mary Grace

The three alternative medicine practitioners rendered services to the communities in Sitio St. Mary Grace in Talamban and Pasil in Cebu City, Tangke in Talisay City, and Canjulao in Lapu-lapu City. Bousquet and Dr. Enders also followed up patients who were treated in a medical mission joined by the VPHCS last January 30 - 31 in Barangay Planas, Guihulngan, Negros Oriental.

Angie with children in Tangke, Talisay City

Angie checks up a patient in Canjulao, Lapu-lapu City

The three practitioners also brought with them lactose grains and bottles donated by the SH to be processed into homeopathic remedies by the VPHCS. 

The VPHCS is very thankful for their services, the SH donation and the knowledge on homeopathy and acupuncture that they imparted to the staff.

  Angie gives homeopathic remedy Arnica for pain 

to a child before the circumcision in Inayawan

VPHCS staff, Maxime, Angie and Dr. Enders with donation 

of homeopathic remedies from Solidarite Homeopathie

Privatization will affect poor patients, government health workers

For public health workers, serving the Filipino people should always be the government’s priority.

By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – Dante Perez, an occupational therapist working at the Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC) for 16 years said being a health worker for a government hospital is about serving the Filipino people. However, he said, this will not be the case anymore if privatization of government hospitals will push through.

Not only that, Perez added, they too are on the brink of losing their jobs. He said the Department of Health (DOH) admitted that their tenure is in the hands of the company that will take over the new POC. He said they were told by the DOH that they cannot do anything if the new management will lay-off some of its health workers and hospital employees.

Health workers commemorates National Health Workers’ Day 

through a symbolic protest run. 

(Photo by Anne Marxze D. Umil/ bulatlat.com)

This is the fate awaiting health workers, Perez said. They have working for almost 24 hours servicing poor patients and even spend their own money but the government does not care about them.

Click here to continue reading the whole article.

Belgian medical students visit CBHP communities

The VPHCS recently hosted the exposure and volunteer work program of two medical students from Belgium.

Leentje Moons and Marie-Elisabeth Frisque, medical students of Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium visited different urban and rural communities with community-based health programs (CBHPs) in Cebu and Bohol last April 19 – May 9. 

Marie-Elisabeth checks up a patient in Ermita, Cebu City 

Belgians Leentje and Marie-Elisabeth renders 

blood sugar testing and blood pressure taking 

in Ermita, Cebu City

They did medical consultations, integrated with the residents in the communities, and learned about common health problems and different aspects of the country including the health care system, education system, politics, and way of living. They also interacted with community health workers and worked with them to render medical services as part of the CBHP goal to promote the people’s basic right to health.

Leentje checking up a patient in Canjulao, Lapu-lapu City

 

Leentje doing circumcision in Tangke, Talisay City

The communities that Leentje and Marie-Elisabeth visited included Ermita, Pasil and St. Mary Grace in Talamban, Cebu City; Canjulao in Lapu-lapu City; Tangke in Talisay City; Caluasan, Dagohoy and Sto. Nino, San Miguel in Bohol. They also saw how brooms are being made from palm leaves in Labogon, Mandaue City, visited the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) and the Cebu Institute of Medicine – Community Medico-Social Services (CIM-CMSS) in Paknaan, Mandaue City.

  In Tangke, Talisay City

 Playing with the children in St. Mary Grace, Talamban

With a fisherman's family in Tangke, Talisay City

Leentje and Marie-Elisabeth said they shall pass on their experiences to others in Belgium and to motivate them to come to the Philippines to do voluntary work as well.

With the VPHCS staff