Earlier this year, the Philippine American Medical Association of Georgia(PAMAG) sent a team of 21 doctors and 10 nurses to the Philippines for a medical mission trip. The team handled almost 5,000 medical and dental cases and performed an astounding 200 plus surgeries!
Dr. Lemuel Villanueva, Co-Chairman of PAMAG, described the health conditions on the island of Mindanao as adequate. However, certain segments of the population were not serviced by the healthcare of the city because they could not afford the fees, so the medical team stepped in to care for those who needed treatment.
After almost a year of preparation, the team spent one intense week seeing patie
nts and performing surgeries on thousands of people using medical supplies collected from MedShare. They performed many surgeries for children with cleft lip and cleft palate and some gynecological surgeries.
nts and performing surgeries on thousands of people using medical supplies collected from MedShare. They performed many surgeries for children with cleft lip and cleft palate and some gynecological surgeries. “The medical supplies we collected from MedShare impacted our work very much. We used most of the supplies and left the rest for the local healthcare providers. More advanced medical equipment is sorely needed..they just don’t have the necessary up-to-date equipment like we have in the U.S.,” said Dr. Villanueva.
PAMAG plans to take a medical mission trip every two years, so their next trip will be in February of 2011.
