Tuesday, January 29, 2008
California-based docs served 10T Dabawenyos
By Ben O. Tesiorna
TEN thousand Dabawenyos received free medical services from the Philippine Medical Mission Society of Northern California (PMSNC) during their four-day mission here from January 21-25.
Arthur Ozoa, a US-based Filipino realtor, said the more than 220 volunteers from the US spent about $20 million on their mission here in Davao City. The amount includes the airfare, food, accommodation, professional fees and hospital equipment brought by the society during their trip here.
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Ozoa said more than 9,700 outpatients were given free medical, dental and eye checkup, as well as free eyeglasses. About 386 indigent Dabawenyos also underwent various major and minor operations at the Davao Medical Center courtesy of the PMSNC.
Among the operations performed were goiter, cataract, open-heart surgery, insertion of pacemaker, OB-Gyne, lumps and bumps and EENT. The volunteer doctors preformed all of these operations for free.
It was learned that an open-heart surgery would normally cost P500,000, while one pacemaker costs about P300,000.
According to Ozoa, this is their third time to conduct a medical mission here in the Davao region. Their next mission will be in Luzon in 2009 and Baguio in 2010.
The PMSNC had been conducting medical missions here in the Philippines since 1986. Ozoa said the society is composed mostly of medical professionals, both Filipinos and Americans.
It was learned that this is the biggest contingent, so far, in the PMSNC medical mission history. Ozoa said most of the participants were first-timers in traveling to the Philippines, moreso to Davao City.
He said most of them have positive impression of the city and are even planning to come back this time around as tourists.
People to be credited for the successful medical mission are doctors Hermie Valle, Cita Jose, Rodolfo Duterte, Angelo Ozoa and the late Davao Medical Center director Gerardo Cunanan.
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Baguio. For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (January 29, 2008 issue)
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