THE

BRITISH

PALAWAN

TRUST

2009
ANNUAL

REPORT

BRITISH PALAWAN TRUST

Aims of the Trust. “ ..to relieve sickness and suffering and preserve and protect the health of the people in Palawan in the Philippines particularly by the establishment and maintenance of an Orthopaedic Project.”

Registered Office:

The Orthopaedic Department,

The Ipswich Hospital,

Heath Road,

Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 5P

Registered Charity number ~ 328651

Web site: www.britishpalawantrust.org.uk

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2009

Mr. Louis Deliss FRCS. Chairman.

Mr. Andrew Gibbs, BSc, FRCS.

Mr. Andrew Gunn, MA, FRCS.

Mr. Jeffrey Hallett, FRCS.

Mr. Ivan Hudson, FRCS.

Mr. John Powell, FRCS.

Mr. David Sharp, MD, FRCS.

Miss Clare Marx FRCS.

Mr. Mike Shanahan, FRCS.

Mr R Baxandall, FRCS (Orth).

Mr M Bowditch FRCS (Orth).

Mr J Hopkinson-Woolley FRCS (Orth).

The principle charitable purpose of the Trust is “the advancement of health” by providing medical care for the people of Palawan (population about 700,000) in particular the indigent people. The medical care is specifically for those with orthopaedic conditions, congenital deformities and those affected by musculoskeletal trauma. We also provide for “the relief of those in need by reason of disability” with a Community Based Rehabilitation Service. In addition we work for “the advancement of education” through a Training Centre where we teach our methods to other health care workers and doctors.

The year to the end of March 2009 has been one of continued hard work in the fields of Orthopaedics, Rehabilitation and Training.

We continue to work through our registered non-governmental organisation (NGO) in the Philippines, Bahatala Inc. Some find a confusion between Bahatala Inc the legal umbrella and Bahatala the building within the Provincial Hospital grounds where much of our activity takes place. The main bulk of the Orthopaedic work takes place in the Bahatala building where Soc has his daily clinic and the therapists see their patients. The vast majority of patients are treated as out patients. When necessary Soc will admit patients and can of course use the operating theatre in the Provincial Hospital. Soc and Cecile continue to do out-reach clinics. These are usually at the week-end and involve a trip in the 4x4 people carrier, essential to negotiate the Palaweno roads. They often take some of the Bahatala staff with them. The visits are arranged through the Community Rehabilitation Officers (CRO) in each administrative area who are organised by Cecile.

Bahatala has upstairs the office where Marly, the secretary, and Dang, the bookkeeper work under Cecile’s watchful eye, and now has downstairs the new clinic area for Soc. The workshops have been moved into the separate building which was initially funded by the New Zealand ambassador. Romy, the orthotist & prosthetist with the carpenters and handymen, Mang Andres and Reymon making and mending braces, artificial limbs, wheelchairs, ADL equipment as well as maintaining the equipment in Bahatala.

The Community Based Rehabilitation service set up so successfully by Cecile has continued to be the backbone to the function of the whole unit. It remains based at Bahatala but with Rehabilitation Officers who are now based in many of the provinces of Palawan. These vary from paid full-time to unpaid part-time. They all however report on the progress of patients, supervised post-treatment rehabilitation therapy and find new patients from their community.

The finance which are summarised at the end of this Report and covered more fully in the Report by Beatons, are in a fairly healthy state. The work to increase the numbers on the list of regular donors and the work by Cecile in preparing regular News Letters has produced a very satisfactory increase in donated income although this was partially offset by the increase in hospital expenses.

We still have the probability that we will have to find a new building for all the activities of Bahatala. The plans that seemed to be developing last year have gone rather quiet. This was an area earmarked for discussion during the aborted Chairman’s visit.

The AGM held in early 2009 discussed the importance of having at least one other Trustee involved with the detail of the administration of the Trust. Unfortunately none of the existing Trustees were willing or did not have the time for such involvement. The Chairman should have looked into finding new Trustees who would be more willing to become involved but unfortunately his house move has prevented any such activity.

My annual visit was planned for February 2009. We managed to sell our house and buy a new one and it all came to a head despite the “credit crunch” at the end of January so my trip had to be cancelled.

I am, however, in regular contact with Soc and Cecile thanks to modern technology and communicate with them using e-mail, SMS and VOIP as well as the old fashioned telephone.

The financial statements are produced according to The Deeds of Declaration of The Trust. The Income and expenditure accounts are limited to transactions in The United Kingdom. Accounts are monitored in Palawan by Bahatala Inc. The chairman makes regular visits to Palawan to check local accounts and expenditure, and to attend board meetings of Bahatala Inc.

It should be noted that the surplus is maintained for the following agreed purposes,

1. To allow continuation of the Trusts work if donations are insufficient until such time as new funding can be identified.

This Annual Report and the Report and Financial Statement (Beatons) were accepted at The Annual General Meeting of the Trust Board held on 7^th January 2010.