Samar Medical Mission

By Tom LaVenture

TWIN CITIES (March 24, 2006) – Volunteers of the Philippine-Minnesota Medical Association and the Philippine Nurses Association of Minnesota returned earlier this month from an all-volunteer medical mission at Samar in the Eastern Visayas Islands of the Philippines. The 34 doctors and 38 nurses worked for about three weeks to bring medical help one of the most impoverished provinces of their homeland.

Bernard Quebral, M.D., president of PMMA for the past six years, said the volunteers have conducted the missions every two years since 2000. In 2002 they focused their efforts in Batangas. In 2004 they traveled to Pangasinan, and the 2006 trip was in Samar, the poorest province in the Philippines.

It was just unbelievable," said Quebral. "We are doing good work here (biannual immunization and health events for the Asian community), but, the ability to help people who are in need - there is no better satisfaction than that."

In the two years between mission trips, the doctors and nurses begin collecting usable, donated medical items such as surgical supplies and older equipment from clinics, hospitals and suppliers. What they cannot find through donations they purchase in bulk from Sams Club, such as multivitamins, cough syrups, asthma inhalers, hypertension medications.

When they go on a mission to remote areas, they hand carry the medicines and expect to have to build a critical care or operating rooms from scratch. When they left Samar, they donated an anesthesia machine, operating supplies, 30 hospital beds, orthopedic items and whatever else they have not already used in treating thousands of patients.

"For hospitals and suppliers it is often cheaper for them to donate to us than to sell," said Quebral, who works in internal medicine at the HealthPartners Woodbury Clinic.

The Filipino-American physicians share a common goal of wanting to help impoverished areas where people sometimes go a lifetime without seeing a doctor. Four of the 72 volunteers were born and raised in the Samar region.

The PMMA helps with travel expenses when they can. Many times the American relatives with family in these regions will donate funds and supplies to help meet expenses. They also help to arrange for support on the Philippines side.

"They are basically working for free," said Quebral.

Dr. Quebral said that over three missions they have learned to learned to triage and utilize the local doctors and nurses. They take the vitals, record the complaints and help to organize health prevention classes in diabetes, hypertension, smoking, food born illnesses.

"We try to tell them to stop smoking, about family panning, and about hygiene and healthy living," said Quebral, who said the economic situation often forces families to make the decision to eat instead of seeking medical attention.

They try to leave the patients with enough medicines to last for 3 to 6 months.

Teresa Wimmer, of the Gustilo Medical Education Center in Minneapolis, a first-time missionary, helped in organizing pre-mission details and assisted in coordinating and support with Dr. Quebral.

"I had the best job because I could see everything. We relied on walkies for communication, which was a Godsend. Many of us lost weight from running back and forth so much in the heat," said Wimmer, who had to keep track of the different teams. "The days were long and hard, mentally and physically and no one ever complained. People worked from their heart unconditionally. It was truly beautiful to see.

"The accommodations were favorable but tight and left some members bunking together in groups of five and ten per cottage. Sometimes, our quarters felt more like a MASH Unit tent, but we had a lot of fun and it provided an opportunity to strengthen relationships with among team members."

The main groups were in Catarman, performing major and minor surgery, including medical dental and surgical procedures. Travel became one of the daily challenges which varied for each location. The commute was 1 hour + each way to and from the hospital. Each day started at 5:30 and ended for most around 6:00pm. Many of the surgeons worked from 8:00 am to 10pm consistently to accommodate scheduled surgeries.

The second smaller group was in Laoang. Their day started at about 4:30 a.m. with breakfast before they had an hour drive on winding dirt roads, followed by a 20 minute boat ride. The 7 passenger boat was made from wood and bamboo and lacked many safety features, including life preservers.

The third group was located only 20 minutes away in the town of Allen, where they concentrated on eyes, ears, nose, and throat procedures.

The PMMA had their 2008 mission site set for the island of Cebu, a southern Philippine island. Collecting supplies, coordinating details, and forming the team members for the 2008 mission have already begun.

The Philippine-Minnesotan Medical Association (PMMA) was founded in 1972 as a non-profit organization that works to promote public health through a continuing program of education for physicians in the State of Minnesota. In addition to its networking and professional support mission, the doctors and medical student members provide charitable services in America or abroad.

Contact the Philippine-Minnesota Medical Association at P.O. Box 25815, Woodbury, MN 55125, or call Bernard Quebral at 651-739-4416. Visit online at www.pmmamd.org.

Contact the Philippine Nurses Association of Minnesota, Alice Olson, president, 2059 Timmy Street, Mendota Heights, MN 55120, or call 651-452-8186.