PH group in Hawaii gears up for ‘Yolanda’ mission

AP FILE PHOTO

The Philippine Medical Association of Hawaii (PMAH) is gearing up for a medical and humanitarian mission to the typhoon-devastated Visayan region of the Philippines from December 13-23.

A total of 40 volunteers will join the mission, including 20 physicians, medical and physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, medical students and other paramedical personnel. Every volunteer will pay for his or her own travel, lodging, food and other expenses.

“This is the first mission from Hawaii to help the Typhoon Yolanda survivors,” says mission chair Dr. Sonido, who has been involved in at least 20 missions of mercy over the past 30 years as a volunteer physician. He will be assisted by co-chair Dr. Russell Kelly, who is the current president of the Ohana Medical Missions—the missionary arm of the PMAH.

The team will be based in Cebu but plans to go to areas most devastated by the typhoon. Organizers are expecting to serve up to 25,000 Yolanda survivors over a five-day period. Mission volunteers will bring over $500,000 worth of medications and supplies such as EKG machines, stethoscopes, and blood pressure and blood sugar monitors. Most of the items were donated by physicians, pharmaceutical companies, local drug stores and mainland medical companies.

Mission co-chair Dr. Kelly says volunteers are anticipating a very challenging mission.

“We expect horrible conditions in the Visayas because it is in a state of emergency and people are expecting a lot of help,” he says. “We are planning to deliver aid to as many survivors as we can to alleviate their suffering.”

Participating physician and current PMAH president Dr. Jose de Leon is also bracing for the challenges that lie ahead.

“It will be the most difficult mission so far because of the devastation of the area,” he says. “The mission’s volunteers will be facing not only health problems but also abnormal living conditions like lack of drinking water and exposure to various health hazards.”

After the Visayas mission, PMAH volunteers will turn their attention to homecoming missions in Cabugao and Santiago in Ilocos Sur; and to Pasuquin in Ilocos Norte. The team will conclude its efforts with a medical mission to Payatas, Quezon City—a dumpsite district in Metro Manila which is considered one of the Philippines’ poorest communities. They are scheduled to return to Honolulu on December 24, 2013.

As mission organizers prepare for the mission, they encourage the community to donate to the relief effort. To ensure that assistance will be given to those who need it the most, volunteers will personally transport supplies to disaster areas and distribute them directly to survivors with no additional overhead expense.

“We appeal to your compassion and generosity,” says Dr. Sonido. “Together, let us extend a hand to all of those who desperately need our help.”

For more information, please contact J.P. Orias at  808-387-8297.