|
2008 Outstanding Award in Community
Empowerment/Service
SOC IS GIVEN SPECIAL AWARD
by THE UNIVERSITY of the PHILIPPINES ALUMINI
ASSOCIATION

GARI M. TIONGCO (Chair,
UPAA Search & Awards Committee and
President, U.P. Alumni Association) wrote to Soc.
Congratulations! The UPAA Board of Directors has confirmed
your award as 2008 UPAA Outstanding Awardee in Community
Empowerment/Service. We are proud to note that you
have used your education from the University of the Philippines
as a springboard to your total development in your profession.
We recognize your achievements in your particular field, and
your leadership in projects which contribute to the welfare of
Filipinos and to the larger society.
This is a great honour for Soc. He and
Cecile attended the meeting in Manila during the celebrations.
This year is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the
University making the award to Soc very special.
There are some photos of the event in the
Gallery.
Sasakawa Health Prize
I am
delighted to report that in Mayoc attended the World
Health Organisation (WHO) Sixtieth World Health Assembly at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. He was there to receive the
Sasakawa Health Prize for 2007. The prize is given
for outstanding innovative work in healthcare development.
this is a wonderful achievement and recognition of Soc's work in
developing appropriate Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation in Palawan
that is applicable in many parts of the world.
Photos
of the award ceremony can be seen in the
Gallery.
Further
details can be found on the following links.
http://www.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB120/B120_DIV3-en.pdf
See notes on page 4.
http://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/eng/brief_dtl/20070528HealthPrize.html
http://information-hub.ofw-connect.com/OFW_Articles/?q=Palawan_Doctor_to_receive_WHO_Award
Photos on
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/multimedia/2007/wha60/en/index2.html
Report of visit to Palawan
August 2007
My annual visit to the Philippines started with two days in
Manila. Soc had arranged meetings with various, hopefully,
influential people. These were both in government and at the
University of the Philippines. Some would be helpful with
Soc’s medical activities and some for his geological work as he
still advises the Provincial Government on geology. I was also
scheduled to give a talk to the Orthopaedic Department of the
Philippine General Hospital. The PGH is the main hospital and
medical school in Manila. It was interesting to be shown
around by the Chief Resident (SpR). I lectured on Appropriate
Orthopaedics as I see it, concentration on the need to question
the excessive use of internal fixation. The senior Consultants
agreed but the juniors had more difficulty!
Then we flew to Palawan. There are not many changes but a
steady increase in the signs of affluence. There are more cars
and tricycle taxis on the road and more smart shops and
restaurants as well as many new buildings. The other measure is
the tripling of scheduled flights from Manila. I stayed as
usual in a fairly simple wooden hotel near the centre where they
are extremely welcoming.
Soc and Cecile were also most welcoming but got me down to work
straight away. Off we went to the Bahatala building to meet
the staff including Angela a Canadian VSO Physio. Then we went
to see patients both in the clinic and in the ward. There are
the usual large numbers of Club Feet, many Constriction Bands,
skeletal trauma and infection. The first patient in the ward
had a nice cold abscess with muscle wasting and osteoporosis
making the diagnosis of Tb easy. There were also the large
numbers of forearm fractures in children and some in adults.
These fractures vary from fresh to a few weeks old, some even
hoping for correction years later. The fresh ones are treated
by either manipulation under haematoma block or a few days on
skin traction, often at home, before casting. Fractured "NOF"
are as usual not treated surgically and do very well, as do the
femoral shaft fractures. The sub-capital fractures often do
not come in but are given a few days rest and then mobilised
with sticks or crutches. The per-trochanteric are mobilised the
same way after 1-3 weeks on traction. Femoral fractures are
treated by traction, skeletal in adults, on a Perkins’s bed for
4-6 weeks and then put in a thigh brace and mobilised.
We had a trip out as always. This was to follow up some
patients and to see new ones. We went to Taytay which is the
old Spanish capital of Palawan north of Puerto Princesa. It
was particularly nice to see “Lee” (see under “gallery” on the
web site) who was at school and came running across in normal
trainers. We also saw new patients that had been “found” by
Aimee, the local CBR worked attached to Bahatala. These varied
from simple trauma to complex difficult cases some probably
infective and the usual congenital problems and CP. Whilst
there I unfortunate caught the local ‘flu and found a fever in
temperatures of 95+ quite difficult. But at least it was not
Malaria!
The last week of my visit coincided with a two day course for
doctors. They came from most of the municipalities of Palawan
to learn some Orthopaedics. They are often the only doctor for
many miles and have to be “multi-skilled”, performing Caesareans
and treating the two common diseases of childhood,
gastroenteritis and Malaria, but must be ready for anything
including trauma. I was able to present Soc with the Eyre
Brooke Medal awarded by World Orthopaedic Concern International
at the opening ceremony. I then gave opening and closing talks,
Soc did the most and short talks were given by the VSO Physio
and by Cecile. Everyone seemed very keen and to enjoy
themselves. The meeting was held on the BPT Training Centre
(Bahay Sanay. This building is in constant use for meetings
and training courses. It is definitely showing its worth.
I spent much time with Soc and Cecile talking about future
developments and inevitably about finance. The exchange rate
has fallen a bit after the spectacular climb from 43 peso to the
pound to 110. It has now settled at about 90. This means that
the inflation proofing effect of the exchange rate has stopped
and slightly reversed. In addition the costs inevitable
increase and the Training Centre will have revenue
consequences. Below is a table I will put into the 2007 Annual
Report. It shows the additional funding that Cecile skilfully
and successfully arranges. The small but increasing local
contribution is very reassuring for our long term
sustainability. All the funds in Palawan go through the NGO we
set up, Bahatala Inc. There are in addition some other local
donations for the supply of wheelchairs.
|
Income
Source 2006 |
Notes |
Percent
of total |
|
British
Palawan Trust |
|
68% |
|
Christoffel Blindenmission |
1 |
24% |
|
Stitchting Lilliane Fonds |
2 |
7% |
|
Local
donations |
3 |
1% |
|
|
|
|
|
1.
CBM International (German).
2.
Funding individual children (Dutch)
3.
Up from 0.3% last year |
I hope that we will be able to increase our income
by completing the revision of our mailing list. This has
already gone up by about 15% but we need to increase further to
cover increased costs. Please consider us when making charity
donations and pass on the news about our work to your colleagues
Chairman British Palawan Trust
www.britishpalawantrust.org.uk
2 September 2007
Report of 2006 visit
by Trust Chairman
My annual visit in 2006 took place
over Easter. Being there over this devoutly observed religious
holiday is a mixed blessing. The whole island is in holiday
mood with small shrines in each street and the Stations of the
Cross at Calvary, a hill on the outskirts of Puerto Princesa
which is part pilgrimage and part fiesta. On the other hand the
work stops and it is really to see the work being done that I
visit, although the enjoyable holiday is another good reason.
I was greeted by Soc and Cecile at the airport and after dumping
my things at the hotel it was straight to work.
I saw very many patients with both
traumatic and orthopaedic problems. I spent time in the
Bahatala building and with the staff we employ. I even saw
some new patients on my own when Soc was off doing other
things. It all brings home the excessive reliance on high
technology that is the fashion in the west!
I was also able to spend a great
deal of time talking to Soc and Cecile. Sometimes I talked to
them both at other times I was able to talk to them separately.
The result was that I learned much and began to understand what
the real problems had been over the last year. It is now, I am
pleased to report, all irrelevant as Soc is now reinstated with
full admitting rights in the hospital. The week after I left
he had two operating lists and has had more since. He is also
once again using the BPT ward that we built as an extension of
the hospital. However one must remember that the majority of
his patients do not require in-patient care
The new training centre, now called
Bahay Sanay the Tagalog for Training (and exercise) House, is a
really wonderful facility. We must be very grateful to the
Bishop of Palawan for most generously giving us the land. The
building, funded by an oil company, is in the grounds of a
seminary close to the Bishops Palace. This means that it is
totally free from “political” interference. The centre will
be use for training courses. The first is on 6th &
7th June and aimed at the School Nurses. It will
also be used for training village health workers. At the
opening I invited the Palawan Medical Association to use it for
their meetings and I hope they will take up the offer. I have
suggested to Soc that training sessions for local doctors should
start as soon as possible.
The cost of building the new
training centre was all met by an oil company but there will be
an ongoing cost for courses, upkeep and electricity. In
addition the number of patients increases each year. Cecile
has been very successful in obtaining additional funds from
partner charities such as CBM (Christoffel Blindenmission),
Stitchting Lilliane Fonds and others but the British Palawan
Trust will have to find more money. To this end I have been
working with Soc on the mailing lists and NewsLetters. I will
also try to find companies to give donations and look to others
to do the same.
In summary the work of the Trust is
still needed and appreciated by the Palaweños. The numbers of
patients and of the disabled who benefit is enormous and growing
please keep supporting us.
WOC International Eyre-Brook
Medal Award
Soc received this letter
from Mr K Tuson F.R.C.S. in 2005.
Dear
Dr Socrates,
I am
delighted to be able to tell you that I was able to announce to
the International Committee of World Orthopaedic Concern that
your nomination by WOC UK for the receipt of the Arthur
Eyre-Brook Medal has been approved. As you know, the Arthur
Eyre-Brook Medal is named after one of the founders of World
Orthopaedic Concern and designed to recognise the efforts and
input of surgeons like yourself who spent many years working in
areas of great need. Many congratulations. I hope that Dr
Rajasekaran, who is visiting the Philippines shortly, will be
able to make contact with you to present you with this medal.
P.P.S. I
presented the Medal to Soc at the opening ceremony of the
Doctors Training Course in August 2007.
I had been asked to do this by WOC. The Medal now hangs in
a frame with the certificate in the Bahatala staff room. LD.
 |