ments or licensed their surgical innovations . Others volunteered and became military officers of the US Armed Forces . Many joined regular medical missions , sponsored with sister states like Pennsylvania or California , to the Philippines or other countries . They donated medical , surgical and pediatric skills at their own expense .
Filipinos love to congregate , party and dance . At one time , the Philippine Medical Associates of Kentucky and Southern Indiana ( PMAKSI ) was active as a group . They had medical presentations , dinners and social affairs . The active and energetic organizers and members were the original physicians who had graduated from the Philippine ’ s medical schools , the 500-year-old University of Santo Tomas ( UST ), the National University of the Philippines ( UP ), University of the East ( UE ), the Far Eastern University ( FEU ), Manila Central University ( MCU ), South Western University in Cebu , and other World Health Organization recognized medical schools . They had pride and personal ties to their schools . As they dwindled and retired , however , the second-generation physicians , their children , schooled and raised in the US , had no ties nor reason to continue the organization . Gradually it faded into oblivion , but not before leaving memories to cherish .
Many of these older physicians still adhered to the age-old tradition of supporting their children ‘ til the latter were able to stand on their own feet . There is also a tacit agreement on what the children must do in the meantime . These parents may have a say on what profession their children choose . Some opt with parental encouragement and support to undergo the rigors of going to medical school . Thus , some older physicians are into the third generation of their family going into medicine , as they would have done in their country of birth . Thus , the saying “ The apple does not fall far from the tree ,” may have some truth to it .
Where doctors are , other professionals follow to aid them in their task . Thus in our area , hospitals , nursing homes and our residence facilities , it is not unusual to have staffs punctuated by Filipino nurses , physical therapists , X-ray and lab techs , physician assistants and computer experts . But , that is another story .
So , if in your rounds or tooling around , you encounter a brown Malayan type , straight haired , English speaking person with a friendly face , you are probably meeting a Filipino , and that person could be a doctor ! That is where the old pals and gals or their kin have gone . They are still here ! Dr . Bacani-Oropilla is a retired pediatrician and child psychiatrist .
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FEBRUARY 2021 21