Saturday, April 12, 2008. My mother had volunteered me for a medical mission organized by her church group at our parish. Being her good little boy, I agreed to go so that she won't be pahiya to her church lady-friends. I arrived there fashionably late by ten minutes, expecting the other doctors to already be working. However, it was only me and another doctor who were present. The others would arrive later. Hrrrr...
At around 8:30, the patients started coming in, and the ANGER began.
First case: sipon at ubo. Next case was also sipon. Third case? Take a goddamn guess. PURO SIPON!! The weird thing is, parents of these kids wouldn't actually give a crap about the colds if there wasn't a medical mission nearby. I was so reluctant to give medications for something that was going to go away by itself. Worse, I saw a few adults and kids who went there even though they had been advised earlier by their OWN doctors in REAL clinics or hospitals to be admitted, or have x-rays or other diagnostics done. What. The. Hell.
Medical missions are counterproductive in many ways. Aside from the tired old reason that it fosters a hand-out mentality, it is a wasted effort, gives a false sense of satisfaction to the organizers, gives no long-lasting good and it diverts funds away from other, better out-reach projects. The angrydoc will elaborate.
There are better ways to do outreach programs that will have a more longer lasting impact. For example, doing a deworming program will give 6 months of benefit for the children. Add some health education and donate slippers and footwear, soap and get some access to clean water and THERE will be real, long term benefit. The deworming and health education can be done on a single day, with the same amount of effort as the medical mission and it will be shorter AND easier. The access to clean water will have to involve the community but that will also take care of the hand-out mentality. We teach them to take what they need, not wait for it to be given.
Shit! Medical missions are the lazy way out. A way for orgs to smugly say that they provide service however fleeting and minuscule the benefit is. Somebody please shoot me if I ever get invited to another medical mission.
At around 8:30, the patients started coming in, and the ANGER began.
First case: sipon at ubo. Next case was also sipon. Third case? Take a goddamn guess. PURO SIPON!! The weird thing is, parents of these kids wouldn't actually give a crap about the colds if there wasn't a medical mission nearby. I was so reluctant to give medications for something that was going to go away by itself. Worse, I saw a few adults and kids who went there even though they had been advised earlier by their OWN doctors in REAL clinics or hospitals to be admitted, or have x-rays or other diagnostics done. What. The. Hell.
Medical missions are counterproductive in many ways. Aside from the tired old reason that it fosters a hand-out mentality, it is a wasted effort, gives a false sense of satisfaction to the organizers, gives no long-lasting good and it diverts funds away from other, better out-reach projects. The angrydoc will elaborate.
There are better ways to do outreach programs that will have a more longer lasting impact. For example, doing a deworming program will give 6 months of benefit for the children. Add some health education and donate slippers and footwear, soap and get some access to clean water and THERE will be real, long term benefit. The deworming and health education can be done on a single day, with the same amount of effort as the medical mission and it will be shorter AND easier. The access to clean water will have to involve the community but that will also take care of the hand-out mentality. We teach them to take what they need, not wait for it to be given.
Shit! Medical missions are the lazy way out. A way for orgs to smugly say that they provide service however fleeting and minuscule the benefit is. Somebody please shoot me if I ever get invited to another medical mission.
