Doctors planning another medical mission to Davao Oriental despite road accident

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – The December 18 road accident in Davao Oriental — which injured six Maguindanao doctors and their driver on the way to a medical mission for typhoon Pablo victims  — has not deterred the province’s health workers from holding another mission there, the Maguindanao provincial health chief said on Friday.

Dr. Tahir Sulaik, himself wounded when the vehicle he and his team was riding in crashed into a tree in Baganga, Davao Oriental, said the new medical mission would be leaving here upon the availability of enough medicines and manpower.

Sulaik said the accident has not dampened their volunteerism and they were eager to serve typhoon victims in Davao Oriental.

The Davao Oriental provincial government earlier called for more volunteer health workers and medicines for various types of illnesses as the health of many evacuees, mostly children, had started to deteriorate due to unsanitary conditions in crammed evacuation centers.

“We are just drawing enough resources and renewed manpower for another PHO Maguindanao medical and relief mission,” Sulaik told reporters here Friday.

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) government announced that some P5 million worth of medicines had been purchased and delivered on Thursday.

ARMM Chief of Staff John Magno said the money used to buy the medicines from Java Pharmaceuticals, Inc. came from the special purpose fund of acting regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman.

Magno said the medicines had already been turned over to the regional health office.

Omar Matuan, administrative officer of the Department of Health in the ARMM, said the medicines that Hataman’s office had turned over would greatly help the planned medical missions to Pablo-devastated areas in Southern Mindanao.

“It is very timely,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division based in Maguindanao has sent food and non-food items to victims of typhoon Pablo in Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental.

“Four Army trucks loaded with goodies will be in the typhoon-hit areas by Saturday to bring cheers to our suffering neighbors and also in the spirit of Christmas,” the 6th ID commander, Maj. Gen. Caesar Ronnie Ordoyo, said.