Sam Bangug MD FAAP
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Motto is “Dedicated to the Health of ALL Children,” — not just those in the United States. Locally, our international health committee works to help represent global childhood health issues across Long Island. Working with multiple Filipino organizations and partially sponsored by New York Chapter 2 of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Sam Bangug MD FAAP organized and participated last spring in a 3-day international medical mission in his home country of the Phillipines.
Here he recounts his experiences leading a team of physicians in a provincial hospital in Isabela a province located 200 miles north of Manila, and a place where the majority of patients live below the poverty line.
The Philippine Islands are well known for their natural beauty and friendly people. However, despite hosting the fastest growing economy in Asia, access to healthcare can be difficult in more remote regions of the country.
Drawing on resources from the Association of Philippine Physicians of New York, the local chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Isabela National High School Alumni International group as well as other ethic organizations — Dr. Jose Quiwa and I organized our third annual medical mission to Ilagan Isabela, a province with high rates of poverty and poor access to healthcare.
This is where I was born and how I “give back” to those in my home country.
The medical mission catered to all dental, medical, and surgical needs, including free cataract surgeries. Dr. Jose Quiwa, Secretary of the Queens Pediatric Society and another AAP NY Chapter 2 member led the pediatric contingent. Other volunteers include internal medicine physicians and ophthalmologists, four nurses and 25 volunteers. We were also assisted by both local doctors and dentists and a pharmacist.
As a pediatrician, it was especially fulfilling to care for the children and to provide services which families had often been waiting months for. Over the three days, a total of 2,200 patients were seen, 782 were pediatric. Common medical problems encountered included anemia, malnutrition, pneumonia, diarrheal disease and dental carries. Our surgeons repaired several hernias and operated on a patient with a thyroglossal duct cyst.
Patients wait to see a physician the Filipino clinic.
Among the many patients was a 9 month old named Mark with hydrocephalus whose family had been waiting for over three months to get an appointment at the Children’s Hospital in Manila. One of the mission physicians, a retired neurosurgeon from California was able to schedule surgery for the patient a week after he presented to the mission clinical staff. By the time volunteers returned to New York, we heard Mark’s surgery was a complete success.
Despite the issues we often face navigating the medical bureaucracy for our patient here, there are so many aspects of care we take for granted. Here, however, these practical issues add multiple layers of complexity which make providing care difficult. A patient with a hernia was initially unable to receive surgery because expense anesthetic medications must be paid for in advance and his family could not afford it. Our organization, partially funded by the NY Chapter 2, was able to underwrite the expense so the boy could be operated on while the surgeon was in the region, less he had to wait another year for his repair.
Another woman whose infant had diarrheal illness held her child’s intravenous (IV) fluid bottle in her hands for her baby’s entire hospitalization because the hospital ran out of IV poles.
New York AAP Chapter 2 members, Dr. Jose Quiwa MD FAAP (R) and Dr. Sam Bangug MD FAAP (L)
The number of patients seen and the timeliness of care given made the mission successful. It could not have been achieved without the support of the generous donors and volunteers who selflessly provided their time and services. Queens based Physicians and American Academy of Pediatrics Chapter 2 International Committee Co Chairs Drs G. Sabogal and S. Patel help approach the Chapter about use of funds to support the mission and AAP Chapter 2 President Dr. J Abularrage authorized funding for the project as part of Chapter’s mission to uplift the health and conditions of ALL children.
Plans are underway for a fourth mission in February of 2017 and volunteers are currently being actively sought.