SULU (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 16, 2014) – A surgical mission composed of a group of doctors from the University of the Philippines and Philippine General Hospital arrived Sunday in the southern province of Sulu, a local doctor said.
Doctor Raden Ikbala said the doctors arrived on a Philippine Air Force C130 transport plane and bringing along with them their state-of-the-art surgical instrument. “They are all volunteers and would not be receiving any pecuniary compensation,” he said.
He said the surgical mission, an initiative of Doctor Fahra Omar, of the Integrated Provincial Health Office-Sulu Provincial Hospital, would benefit hundreds of patients.
The doctors, he said, would conduct surgery operations on patients with goiter – which refers to the abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland; and herniorrhapy – the operation for hernia that involves opening the hernial sac and returning the contents to their normal place and closing the opening with strong sutures.
They will also perform surgery on patients with cleft lip and palate.
Doctor Ikbala said the surgery mission will run until March 20. He said Sulu Governor Totoh Tan also donated P600,000 for the surgical mission.
The Sulu Area Coordinating Center under Fazlur Rahman Abdulla said the supplies and other expenditures for the mission is shouldered by the Sulu Provincial Government.
“Air transportation from Manila to Jolo and back will be provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The IPHO is in charge of their (surgeons) food and accommodation. All services will be provided by team of specialists from UP-PGH,” it said. (Mindanao Examiner)
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