REFLECTIONS
THE NEED IS STILL GREAT
Teresita Bacani-Oropilla, MD
O
n a brief visit to my former hometown in the Philippines, it was curious to see dozens of Indian youths,
male and female, clad in white uniforms and
blending with the morning crowds. Purposefully walking or riding pedicabs and taxis,
they were headed to the same place, as medical students of the Davao Medical School
Foundation.
Created in 1976 to fulfill a need to train local doctors to care for
patients in the provinces and rural areas, DMSF has since been
recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), and has
become a center for medical studies in that part of Asia. These
medical students and any other foreign nationals would become
eligible, upon graduation, to pursue certifications required by their
countries to practice medicine there. Evidently, there is a need for
more physicians to care for their populations.
We sometimes wonder if, in our own territory and backyard,
physicians are still that needed. Is the medical field saturated? Have
doctors become superfluous in number? Is it time to stop training
more doctors?
From our own ranks we witness colleagues who, despite their own
busy practices, set aside time, resources and efforts to do ‘doctors’
volunteer work. Let us not forget the physicians, young and old and
medical students included, who, with other allied professionals,
man free evening clinics or do surgeries on Sunday. Many doctors volunteer to monitor school athletes. Others have started and
continue to run organizations such as The Healing Place which
fights addictions, and SOS which helps supply missions. We hear
of colleagues who join regular missions to operate gratis in clinics
in Haita and other countries. Alumni join classmates, bring their
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LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
own supplies, hold clinics in rural areas in the Philippines, remove
huge thyroids, myomas, fix disfigured faces, repair harelips and cleft
palates. Some specialize in eye problems and literally give sight to
the blind by removing cataracts that have lingered for years.
How about one who sets up a rudimentary clinic in Uganda
educating people on health issues, hoping they can eventually be
self-sufficient enough to improve health in their own environs?
That clinic included a dentist to remove decayed teeth and help
people to prevent further dental caries. And those in our own area
who promote prevention of mini epidemics by emphasizing the
use of vaccinations?
It is so heartening to see what doctors can do not only here but
in other places around the world. To see the hangar of the Royal
Flying Doctors in Broken Hill, Australia, is amazing indeed. A
doctor looks at the assignment board for the day, and flies off to
see his patients! Maybe an injury in the outback? And what do we
think of those brave ‘Doctors Without Borders’ members who are,
as of now, helping the refugees in Europe. Their lives are on the line.
We need not look elsewhere for areas where doctors can help.
Every place has its own unique problems and temporary or permanent ways to solve them. In the face of man-made frustrations that
confront physicians of today, contemplating on, “Why and what for
are we doctors, anyway?” might help in their resolution. The idea of
stopping to encourage or train more physicians because of barriers
put in their way has not reached its time. The great need for them
still outweighs these inconveniences.
We must remember that “Nobody was ever promised a beautiful
rose garden without thorns.”
Dr. Oropilla is a retired psychiatrist.