Description and rationale of the medical and solidarity mission
In the Philippines, health facilities and services remain to be highly urban-centered, inadequate, commercialized and inaccessible to the majority of the Filipino people while health workers have been severely inadequate and maldistributed. As NGO health and development workers, we have witnessed the dire and worsening Philippine health situation. Filipino people continue to suffer from the Philippine government’s non- prioritization of health and other social services.
On April 2023, the Filipino Nurses United (FNU) and Community Health Education, Services and Training in the Cordillera Region (CHESTCORE) in coordination with Filipino American Health Workers Association (FAHWA) will conduct a medical and solidarity mission in the Cordillera Region in the Philippines. The indigenous people in the region, generally poor communities, need medical services very badly because of inaccessible health services amid worsening poverty.
Set for a nine (9) day program inclusive of travel, the medical and solidarity mission aims to serve hundreds of patients (children, adults, seniors) from several barangays assessed as the most in need. The donations received will be used for medicines for acute and chronic diseases, as well as transportation, accommodation and food expenses for the health team who will be in the region for 9 days. Patients who live far from the mission site will be provided with free transportation.
Our host organization in the Cordillera region is an NGO Community Based Health Program CHESTCORE. CHESTCORE’s assessment of the community is that the people need sustained and continued efforts for other health activities such as training and education. The medical mission will also be in collaboration with the local people’s organization in the barangay (village) and the local government in the area.
The program includes 2 days medical services, field education tour of communities in the region, debriefing of the medical mission and orientation/ discussion of the healthcare situation in the Philippines. We will also visit communities of the beautiful Sagada and celebration of famous Cordillera Day of indigenous people in the region.
