Medical mission in San Remegio, Cebu

 The Visayas Primary Health Care Services held a medical mission in Barangay Tambongon, San Remegio, Cebu last September 14. 

The barangay reached by a three-hour bus ride north from Cebu City, is one of the barangays severely affected by Typhoon Yolanda in November 8, 2013. 

Tambongon Elementary School, the mission site.

The mission was supported by Lands Aid, a humanitarian aid organization based in Germany. Its Philippine project coordinator Andreas Schmitz coordinated with the VPHCS to ensure the success of the mission. Schmitz has been based in San Remegio since July this year to oversee the repair and construction of houses for about 300 families affected by the typhoon in San Remegio. Lands Aid had also sent volunteers of doctors and nurses to deliver relief and medical assistance after the typhoon in November. 

The 40-member team of doctors, nurses, dentists, community health workers and volunteers rendered medical and dental services and gave eyeglasses. 

 Patients waiting outside the consultation room.

A total of 185 adults and 143 children were attended to by 9 doctors. Dental services were provided by six dentists, members of the Cebu Dental Society. The Juanito I. King Foundation also provided its dental mobile van. A total of 136 patients had teeth extraction and oral prophylaxis. Flouride solution was also given to the children by the dentists in order to protect their teeth from caries.

Patients came from neighboring barangays of Tambongon and neighboring barangays of Kayam, Anapog, Dapdap, Tacop, Mano, and Batad. 

Dr.  Florespina Jeanjaquet  inside the dental van.

Dr. Lynwood Tabanao with a patient.

Volunteer Jafe Sepulveda conducts blood sugar test.

The medical mission came at a time when agriculture in Barangay Tambungon has not yet been completely restored, food security remains a problem and malnutrition is common that in turn makes one susceptible to contracting diseases. Hunger, poor nutrition and lack of income make them and their children very susceptible to illnesses while those who become sick cannot afford to buy their necessary medicines. Medicines and medical supplies in government health centers that have just resumed their normal operations are still lacking to meet the needs of the people. 

Patients waiting for services in the dental van

 of the Juanito I. King Foundation.

Acute upper respiratory tract infections or cough and colds were common among both adults and children, since, even 10 months now after Typhoon Yolanda, many families continue to live in temporary tents, makeshift houses or shelters vulnerable to harsh climate conditions, or share homes with other families resulting in overcrowded conditions that make them susceptible to easy transmission of diseases. .  

Hypertension seen among the adults in the mission was a serious concern since uncontrolled hypertension can lead to serious complications such as stroke, kidney problem or heart enlargement. Osteoarthritis, muscle pains and tension headache were also common among adults who were farmers that have to work hard in the farms in order to put food on their tables, thereby putting their bodies into stress and exertion. Non-ulcer dyspepsia was also common since being farmers, they have the tendency to skip their meals while working in the fields or simply because there was no food to eat at all. 

 

Volunteer nurse Paul Serad takes blood pressure.

A total of 23 children had pneumonia and 15 had skin infections. A total of 51 patients had their blood sugar tested for diabetes but only six were found to be diabetic. Reading eyeglasses were provided to 100 patients. 

The medical consultation room.

VPHCS staff dispense the medicines.

All patients were properly given medicines bought from the funds from Lands Aid. They included essential medicines such as antibiotics, analgesics, anti-pyretics, anti- hypertensives, antacids, ferrous sulfate, anti-diabetic, mucolytic, bronchodilator, multivitamins, and many others. 

The medical, dental, nursing team and volunteers.

Project on Community Resiliency Model

The Visayas Primary Health Care Services, Inc. (VPHCS) is currently implementing a project that benefits families affected by Typhoon Yolanda in the northern part of Cebu.

The project, Integrating Community Resiliency Model (CRM) in Community-based Health Program (CBHP) in ten villages in northern Cebu affected by Typhoon Yolanda is funded by the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), a human rights organization based in Massachusettes, U.S.A. and working in more than a dozen countries worldwide. UUSC fosters social justice and advances human rights, partnering with those who confront unjust power structures and mobilizing to challenge oppressive policies.

The six-month project which starts in October 2014, addresses the mental health in the ten communities through application of the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) so that the residents can help themselves and help others as well. 

The ten communities include Barangays Patao, Lipayran and Kampinganon, Municipality of Bantayan, Barangay San Augustin, Municipality of Madridejos, Barangays Baterya, Malbago and Tominhao in the Municipality of Daanbantayan, Barangay North Poblacion, Municipality of San Francisco, Barangay Cagcagan, Municipality of Puro and Barangay Puertobello, Municipality of Tudela.

CRM embodies a community-oriented approach that promotes independence, education about the biology of the human body and how it responds to traumatic events and most importantly, how to restore or enhance resiliency. CRM aims to “make the skills a part of healing in daily life, to increase a sense of one’s ability to help him/herself, to learn how to bring the body, mind and spirit into greater balance and to encourage people to pass the skills along to friends and loved ones.”

The ten barangays are all coastal communities where residents are poor fisherfolks and small farmers whose houses were severely damaged by Typhoon Yolanda and their means of livelihood were totally lost. Even before Yolanda struck, the residents were already wallowing in poverty and facing dire hardships to eke a living to feed their families. Yolanda aggravated their sufferings. 

The ten barangays are among the 20 barangays which were served by the VPHCS during a previous project from February 2014 – April 2014, “Building resilient Communities in facing natural calamities – Phase I,” implemented by the Central Visayas Farmers Development Center (FARDEC) with the support of the Action Aid. The VPHCS provided psychosocial services to survivors of the typhoon, as part of the relief, shelter, livelihood and rehabilitation services in the project. It also organized people’s organizations including formation of working committees on disaster preparedness. 

In the ten barangays are residents who showed signs of mental stress and psychosocial trauma that needed to have continued psychosocial intervention. 

The project shall provide trainings of community health workers in the ten communities that shall enable them to have basic CRM skills to help their residents return back to resiliency, recover from any trauma and promote their mental health. 

It aims to develop “trauma-informed” and “resiliency-informed” communities in the ten barangays where residents share a common understanding of the impact of trauma on the nervous system and how resiliency can be restored using this skills-based approach. 

Prior to the community-based trainings, the VPHCS staff members and volunteers shall also undergo trainings on CRM, who shall then train the community health workers and apply their skills in the course of providing primary health care services in the programs of the VPHCS.