Order of Malta Conducts Medical Mission in Northern Samar
The Order of Malta Philippines conducted two medical missions last March 16-17 in two remote towns located in Northern Samar.
A total of 242 patients availed of free medical consultations in Barangay Cawayan, in the municipality of Catarman while an additional 239 beneficiaries received the same services in Barangay Salvacion in the municipality of Laoang. Both towns are located in Northern Samar. All of those who were aided by the medical mission belong to the five barangays that have received shelter assistance from the Order of Malta after the onslaught of Typhoon Nona in 2015. With winds reaching 232 kilometers/hour, the typhoon was considered by the local government as the strongest to hit Northern Samar in 34 years.
The medical mission is a supplemental project to support the current disaster risk reduction and community-based disaster preparedness program being conducted in the same area by Malteser International, the worldwide relief organization of the Order of Malta.
A total of six medical doctors, 15 barangay health workers, one nurse and twenty support staff assisted the residents of Brgy. Cawayan. Meanwhile, two doctors three midwives, 27 barangay health workers and 5 EENT (Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat) teams attended to the residents of Brgy. Salvacion. The EENT teams assisted patients with eye conditions including cataracts and pterygium as well as various ear ailments.
Aside from receiving free medical check-up and medicines, some patients also availed of tuberculosis treatment, deworming and body therapy.
Both medical missions were conducted in coordination with the Diocese of Catarman. A celebration of the Holy Eucharist preceded both events.
Besides recovering from the damage of Typhoon Nona, Northern Samar is also identified by the Philippine government as the fourth poorest province in the country. Northern Samar is also the poorest province in the Eastern Visayas region. Government estimates revealed that six out of every ten people in the province live below the poverty line.
The Philippine Association of the Order of Malta conducted its first medical mission after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo and the Ormoc flashfloods in 1991. Since then, it has organized the same medical services even in non-emergency situations given the institution’s long history of caring for people in need through medical, social and humanitarian work.
