Philippines, U.S. work together to bring medical aid to remote town during Balikatan 2009

Photo By Cmdr. Lara Bollinger | Local radio personality and Philippine Soldier known as "Superman Sammy" Said addresses local residents of Limpapa, Zamboanga City during the opening remarks during one of the Medical Civic Action Programs , April 18, 2009, a part of Exercise Balikatan 2009. Balikatan means "Shoulder to Shoulder," and is an annual exercise for the Armed Forces of the Philippines supported by the U.S. Military. It focuses on teamwork during humanitarian, medical and engineering projects throughout the Philippines.  

ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES

04.22.2009

Courtesy Story

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

ZAMBOANGA, Republic of the Philippine -- The residents of a remote village in southern Mindanao benefitted from the medical services of military and civilian healthcare providers at a medical civic action program April 18 under the banner of Balikatan 2009.

In the exercises shoulder-to-shoulder spirit, nearly 70 medical workers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, U.S. Joint Special Operations Task Force — Philippines, and Philippine civic health organizations joined together to aid more than 1,800 men, women and children in the isolated barangay of Limpapa. The day-long event was held at the Limpapa National High School.

"I'm very happy about the MEDCAP," said barangay chairman Antonio Lacaser. "We are thankful for the support of the Balikatan exercise."

The barangay was chosen because of its remoteness and the lack of regular access to medical care. The nearest medical facility is a midwife-run health center located several kilometers away across unpaved roads and an only recently-bridged river. Many of the town's 4,500 residents live in the mountains where the only access to the clinic is by footpath. The general poverty of the region was also a deciding factor in selecting Limpapa.

"It's one of the poorest barangays in the Zamboanga peninsula," said Maj. Eugene Batara, the civil-military operations officer for the AFP's Western Mindanao Command. "The people here don't have money for medicines. We're bringing the medicines to them."

The medical volunteers consisted of physicians, nurses, dentists, optometrists, obstetricians and corpsmen who treated the arriving townsfolk for everything from general medical problems and eye exams to dental care and circumcisions. Volunteer nurses also conducted a series of instructional seminars on topics such as breastfeeding, hygiene, and the health effects of cigarette smoke.

Planning for the event began nearly a month ago, with all the involved organizations meeting to divide up responsibilities. The AFP, in addition to contributing medical personnel, provided security and transportation to the event, while the U.S. forces and the Zamboanga City Health Department brought all the medicine given to the patients. Local volunteers in Limpapa began registering patients the day before the MEDCAP, and all the involved groups contributed as many physicians, nurses, and other medical specialists as they could.

"This was a huge undertaking," said U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Kevin O'Meara, the JSOTF-P organizer for the MEDCAP as well as a pediatric physician. "There were lots of pieces and lots of coordination."

That coordination is continuing even now that the event has concluded. Participants noted cases which required more ongoing observation and are working with the local midwives to follow up on those.

"The follow-up services are very important to me," O'Meara said. "If I see someone for a day, but don't have a follow-up, people can get dropped. Our goal is to make sure everyone gets taken care of."

• Date Taken: 04.22.2009
• Date Posted: 04.22.2009 04:35
• Story ID: 32696
• Location: ZAMBOANGA, PH