Voluntary Blood Donation Drive to Save our Mothers At VSMMC

Voluntary Blood Donation Drive to Save our Mothers at VSMMC 
on September 25, 2016 (Sunday) Regional Blood Center

At Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is allotted one (1) operating room and one (1) dedicated anesthesiologist. Only one. But compared to other hospitals, we operate 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, and as public servants, we accept ALL patients who come seek our help for delivery. We do emergency cesarean section because these patients are mothers and their babies who can die if we do not intervene.

We do not turn away patients even if they do not have prenatal care. We do not turn away patients even if they don't have money. We do not turn away patients even if they do not have blood or blood donors. We do not turn away patients even if we don't have physical space or manpower. Because, if we start turning away patients, where will they go?

We need your help. We cannot do it alone. Mothers still die because of hemorrhage. They bleed to death when there is no available blood at the blood bank, when people do not care enough to donate their life-giving blood, when people start thinking about what they can get in return, when people keep thinking they don't have time to help.

You can help save our mothers and our babies. For a few minutes of your time, you can give your health to these patients. We need communities who care enough to take action to save our mothers and our babies. The Regional Blood Center along Jones Ave near Fuente Osmena is open to accomodate heroes who are willing to donate blood.  On September 25, 2016 (Sunday), the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is organizing a voluntary blood donation drive for the benefit of our patients.  We hope to see you there!

Promoting Child Rights Protection

The Republic Act 9344 known as the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act of 2006 celebrated 10 years of its existence.  This law recognizes the right of children to assistance, including proper care and nutrition, and special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty and exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to their development.  It further defines a child at risk and a child in conflict with the law. This law also points to the  minimum age of criminal liability: A child fifteen (15) years of age or under at the time of the commission of the offense shall be exempt from criminal liability.

Children are often used in drug trafficking nowadays because of this exemption.  Hence, some call for a lowering of this minimum age so that children committing heinous crimes can be put behind bars.  Child rights advocates insist that in these instances, children are victims too.

The Philippines signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Since signing the UN CRC, the government is obliged to recognize the full spectrum of human rights for all children and strengthen efforts in enforcing the rights of children.  Different branches of government call for increasing programs that protect children's rights:

The Department of Interior and Local Government urges barangays to promote children's rights in the search for child-friendly barangays.

The Department of Education (Dep Ed) issued a memorandum on its child protection policy, policy and guidelines on protecting children in school from abuse, violence, exploitation, discrimination, bullying and other forms of abuse.  Dep Ed also strengthens protection for the reintegration of children at risk and children in conflict with the law.

The Department of Justice created a Committee for the Special Protection of Children.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has rescued over 150 victims of webcam sex tourism and other forms of child abuse.

In the UN CRC, the guiding principles of the Convention include non-discrimination, adherence to the best interests of the child, the right to life, survival and development, and the right to participate.  In our own ways, we can also promote children's rights and help in the reintegration of children at risk and children in conflict with the law.




Questions that need to be answered:

1.  What are the different approaches to reintegrate children at risk and children in conflict with the law?
2.  Suggest ways on how we can keep children our of trouble and out of harm's way.
3.  What enabling environment can allow children to claim their own rights?

Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery

Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery

Back in highschool, I remember reading the book called the Color Purple.  The novel is about a poor and uneducated 14-year old girl who suffers rape, beatings, maltreatment and all forms of abuse, and endures through all the hardships until she is reunited with family and loved ones at the end of the story.  These stories are based on true events, and sadly these still occur until this day.

What is Human Trafficking?

Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.  People on the ground like community organizer Elaine says human trafficking is a lucrative business, and that women and children are made vulnerable by poverty and gender discrimination.  In some areas in Cebu, it has become so bad that it was once considered a cottage industry.  Children are robbed of their youth, and end up as broken, empty shells.  People on the ground report children being pimped by their own parents for sex.  Others collect payment for sexual acts performed in front of a webcam.

"Trafficking in Persons" is legally defined in the Republic Act 9208 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003) as:

the recruitment, transportation, transfer or harboring, or receipt of persons with or without the victim’s consent or knowledge, within or across national borders by means of threat or use of force, or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or of position, taking advantage of the vulnerability of the person, or, the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation which includes at a minimum, the exploitation or the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery, servitude or the removal or sale of organs.

Hence, the main elements of human trafficking would include movement, means and motivation.

Where is Human Trafficking?

The Global Slavery Index estimates that in 2016 there are 45.8 million people are in some form of modern slavery in 167 countries.

CNN US Trafficking in Persons Report discusses that on the same day that the new President Rodrigo Duterte assumed power, the Philippines moved up to become a Tier 1 nation. During his State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Duterte declared war against human trafficking.

According to the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report

• Tier 1 means that governments fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act's (TVPA) minimum standards.
• Tier 2 means that governments do not fully comply, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance.
• Tier 3 means that governments do not fully comply and are not making significant efforts to do so. Myanmar, Sudan and Haiti are currently among the worst offenders for human trafficking.

In Cebu Philippines, the Inter-agency Council against Trafficking (IACAT-7-ACP-VAWC) celebrates World Day against Traffiking in Persons (WDAT) with a multi-sectoral conference at the Mandaue City Sports Complex with all government agencies, non-government organizations and even private sectors involved in efforts towards stopping human trafficking.

The Share A Child Movement Inc works at the level of the barangay, organizing community-based child protection networks and youth advocate groups to report, refer and monitor cases of child abuse in the barangay.  We also conduct information-education campaigns to increase awareness on the rights of the child and the laws protecting children and women.

Other organizations focus on the transportation and tourism sectors, empowering the service providers to detect suspicious movements and report potential cases of human trafficking.  Other organizations specialize in protection of victims and prosecution of perpetuators.

As we celebrate the Philippines' upgrading to TIP Tier 1 especially on World Day against Trafficking in Persons, we continue our efforts to stop all forms of human trafficking in our society, to protect our children and strengthen our families.

When your facebook newsfeed speaks to you

When your FB newsfeed speaks to you

Have you ever experienced that feeling when the universe seems to speak to you?  When everything seems to fall into place?

My life now might be super jampacked with activities left and right, sleepless night, adrenaline rush to meet deadlines... but scrolling down on my FB newsfeed, Angelina Jolie says "let us do the best we can with this life!" and Robin Williams says "make your life spectacular!"

Simply amazing!

Daily Logs

Daily Logs

Since I've been assigned as training officer of our department, I've focused on my role as teacher and trainer, and I embody this role in all my other responsibilities whether in the medical schools where I teach, at the hospital where we have resident physician trainees, or even with my staff in our NGO The Share A Child Movement Inc.  I aim for other people to learn from me, a little something everyday.  The more proper perspective is for me to assist THEM in their self-directed learning.

So one suggestion by the training office is to have a daily diary or a daily log of things you have achieved for that day, or things you have learned.  Back in UST med school days, a favorite surgery consultant introduced me to the "one-fourth sheet of paper a day" addition in knowledge.  I should not be content until I am able to fill up one fourth sheet of paper with new learning.  Regardless of the source, we do learn something new everyday.

Hence, here is my "notebook" for everyone to see.  I realize that my blogs need not be long academic articles that is publish-worthy.  I can publish even simple thoughts that might induce other people to start thinking as well.

I have learned about the outcome-based education, same as the output impact orientation in social development.  They all point to the same thing:  the end measurement of success is the final product!

Doctors as Patients: who takes care of healthcare providers?

Doctors as Patients: who takes care of healthcare providers?

Sometimes we tend to forget that doctors are humans too, and doctors can get sick if they don't take care of our health. Most doctors are busy people - preoccupied with keeping patients healthy.

According to a 2008 systematic review on DOCTORS AS PATIENTS: doctors' health access and the barriers they experience by Kay et. al., doctors have the same preventive health needs as the general community.  Barriers to seeking health care may include embarrassment, time, cost and the personality of the doctor as a patient. However, systematic barriers to health access (long hours of duty and cultural issues) are more significant than individual barriers.

Doctors tend to be selfless, often endure sleepless nights caring for their patients, skipping meals (and baths), often neglecting their own health. We complain about patients seeking medical consult late, but it is much the same with doctors - we tend to ignore our aches and pains until our conditions get too difficult to handle.

Do you agree that doctors are the worst kind of patients?  Wessely and Gerada (2013) explains the concept of doctors creating a medical self with characteristics of being perfectionists, narcissists, compulsives, denigrators of vulnerability, and martyrs.  These characteristics make them good doctors, but also distort doctors’ ability to seek help and adopt the role of patient.  When doctors relinquish their medical self and become patients, there is a better chance of reduced distress and global improvement.

Join us tonight at 9PM MLA time for our ‪#‎HealthXPH‬ tweetchat to discuss healing of healers... who takes care of healthcare providers?

T1. What are the challenges for doctors to take care of their health?
T2. Suggest ways on how healthcare professionals can take care of their own health.
T3. How can patients take care of their doctors?

The Role of Research in Academe

During the Global Forum 2015, there was a plenary session that pointed out the disconnect between researchers who don't teach and teachers who don't do research. Research faculty are separated from academic faculty.  Many programs attempt to marry research industry and academic institutions through research grants. Still the question is left unanswered: what is the role of research in academe?

One website says "the purpose of research is to inform action" and main problem is the "slow translation of research into practice".  Here again it is mentioned that there is a disconnect between those who create the evidence base (the researchers) and those who are positioned to implement the research findings (teachers).

I teach research to first year medical students.  Many of my students find the class difficult, with so many steps to go through; but since it's a requirement, they plod on.  I also supervise the research projects of my residents in obstetrics and gynecology.  You would think that since they went through research in medical school, they'd fair better.  In reality, if medical students find research difficult, imagine that residents have fourfold difficulty juggling clinical patient care with cudgels of research work.  One resident complained "why are we required to do research? Why not limit it to those who actually like research?".  The main advantage of actually conducting research is knowing the actual process and understanding how to interpret data globally available and to translate it into policy and practice.  Hence, we are left with the question:  How do we bridge the disconnect between teachers who don't do research and researchers who don't teach?

Republic Act 10532, an act institutionalizing the Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS), aims to improve the quality of life of every Filipino through health research and development activities.  Medical schools are mandated to prepare research agendas to which students align their research projects.  Areas for research are identified in the National Unified Health Research Agenda (NUHRA), Regional Unified Health Research Agenda (RUHRA) and the National Higher Education Research Agenda (NHERA).  One challenge is the rigorous process of technical and ethical reviews of research protocols prior to actual implementation to ensure that health research adheres to universal ethical principles.  Another challenge for researchers is how to tap funding for research. Medical schools offer grants to encourage faculty to do research. The Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) accepts research proposals for funding.  Aside from this, how do we help researchers tap funding for research?

Teachers on twitter.  Pezaro (2015) shares that a small but growing group of teachers flock to social media to share their resources, experiences and ideas. Because formal research is hard and technical, teachers seek what they need through networks, and events, instead.  Social media is a platform where formal research may be shared and presented and translated into simpler more easily understandable language.  Still, there needs to be those people who will create the evidence base, people who will translate the evidence for consumption, and people who are positioned to implement the findings.  Data is there on social media, then researchers need to be able to organize this data into formal research for publication.  However, how do we ensure that research based on data from social media adheres to universal ethical principles?  What ethical issues arise when doing research on social media platforms?