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Indigent patients find help for surgeries in Tagum City medical mission

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Lingkod Kapamilya

It took Julie Marcos three hours to get to the nearest hospital that could accommodate her 3-year-old daughter who was ran over by a motorcycle in front of their home in Veruela, Agusan Del Sur. <div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/news/08/08/001julie-buboy-cj-bed.jpg"/><figcaption>Julie and husband Buboy look at their sleeping daughter, Christine Joy. Rowena Cos, ABS-CBN News Public Service</figcaption></figure></div>&quot;Critical po siya noon, akala ko mawawala na sa akin ang anak ko,&quot; Julie tearfully said, recalling the ordeal back in March. &quot;Wala mang malaking ospital doon, dito lang ang malaki, tapos wala silang pang-gamit pang-opera doon.&quot; (She was in a critical condition. I thought I would lose my daughter. There are no big hospitals in our town, they don&#x27;t have the equipment and facilities to operate on my daughter.)This is the reality for many who live in far-flung areas like Veruela, considered the oldest town in upper Agusan Del Sur. Emergency cases race against time to reach the nearest hospital equipped with enough facilities to accommodate patients with special and specific needs. For most, an hour of traveling to reach the emergency room is considered making good time. If lucky, you may be getting treatment on the way in an ambulance, but Julie wasn&#x27;t so fortunate. Her daughter Christine Joy had to be driven for three hours to the Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) in Tagum City in a police car.&quot;Ang ospital natin ay one of the two hospitals run by the Department of Health sa Region 11,&quot; DRMC hospital chief Dr. Brian Dalid said. &quot;Dito sa mga kapitbahay natin sa CARAGA, may mga DOH hospital diyan pero mga Level 2 sila, so most of the time &#x27;yung mga ibang cases na hindi nila kaya doon, ay dinadala dito.&quot;(Our hospital is one of the only two hospitals run by the Department of Health in Region 11. Our neighbors in Caraga also have DOH-run hospitals but most are Level 2, and what cases they cannot accommodate, they refer here.&quot;)Julie, a housewife, and her husband Buboy, a tenant to a farmer, have been making do with cash they loan from neighbors to be able to bring Christine Joy to DRMC in Tagum City three times a month for the past five months in maintenance of the colostomy bag attached to her to help her recover from the accident.&quot;Mahirap talaga, bahala wala kaming ulam, basta may pambili ng colostomy bag niya,&quot; Julie shared, revealing she never sought support from the motorcycle driver as they too were a poor family. (It&#x27;s difficult. It doesn&#x27;t matter if we don&#x27;t have anything to eat, so long as we get to replace her colostomy bag.)<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/news/08/08/002-julie-buboy-burger.jpg"/><figcaption>Buboy (foreground) and Julie (background) share a P20 burger during downtime at the ward. Rowena Cos, ABS-CBN News Public Service</figcaption></figure></div>This August, Christine Joy is set to have her colostomy bag removed as part of her final recovery. In partnership with World Surgical Foundation Philippines, the Davao Regional Medical Center in Tagum City, and the Tagum city government, ABS-CBN offered Christine Joy&#x27;s operation for free. &quot;Hiningian ako ng number ng doktor dito, tapos nalaman nila na may libre, tinawagan nila ako, may libre daw [na operasyon],&quot; Julie smiled as she carried Christine Joy to prepare for her operation. &quot;Pasalamat talaga ako na nakasama ang anak ko, buong puso kong nagpapasalamat sa inyong tulong.&quot;(The doctors here asked for my number, and when they found out about the surgical mission, they called me up. I am so thankful that my daughter was included, I thank you for your help with all my heart.&quot;)World Surgical Foundation Philippines vice president Dr. Eric De Leon spoke about the need for access to quality yet more affordable healthcare in the country. &quot;Hindi well-distributed ang mga doctors sa buong Pilipinas. &#x27;Yung mga major procedures na nagagawa namin can range from P100,000 to P150,000 per case, so sa ginagawa naming missions, these are all free, hanggang sa gamot, hanggang sa makauwi sila.&quot;(Doctors in the Philippines are not well-distributed. The major operations we perform cost between P100,000 to P150,000 per case, and in these missions they are all free, including the medicine, so the patients&#x27; expenses are taken care of until they are discharged.)<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/news/08/08/003-julie-christine-joy.jpg"/><figcaption>Julie smiles as Christine Joy is about to be called for surgery. Rowena Cos, ABS-CBN News Public Service</figcaption></figure></div>During the 2-day surgical mission, 125 operations were performed, with 47 major surgeries and 78 minor cases. &quot;&#x27;Yung suppossedly na gastos nila puwede nila gamitin sa iba nilang pangangailangan sa kanilang pang-araw-araw,&quot; said Dr. Brian Dalid. (The money they would have spent for the operation they could instead use for their daily needs.)&quot;Hindi na kami mahirapan na pumunta dito, iwas gastos na rin, tapos makabayad na rin kami sa utang namin, paunti-unti. Salamat po talaga sa inyo,&quot; Julie said.(We don&#x27;t have to keep coming back here anymore, and we can finally start paying off our debt. Thank you so much.)

During the 2-day surgical mission, 125 operations were performed, with 47 major surgeries and 78 minor cases.

During the 2-day surgical mission, 125 operations were performed, with 47 major surgeries and 78 minor cases.