With the increasing problem in Solid waste in Barangay New Barili, we were alarmed that sooner or later it will contaminate the primary source of their water, the river. New Barili is situated on the highlands of Tampilisan. It supports a community of about a thousand or more. From the top you can see tufts of green in the landscape and a river flowing by. The river which is their primary source of water for drinking is vulnerable to pollution. With its location, anything that people toss from above can be blown or washed in to the river. From the river, the water is placed on a reservoir of cemented tanks then distributed to every household. With our desires to promote health and prevent diseases by avoiding contamination of their source of water, we made a program on proper solid waste management. And to start with, we conducted water sampling in 4 major water tanks of the Barangay to make a baseline data for our project. And the result shows that it is clear and safe for drinking. So the next task now is how to maintain it. Rafshanjani Adil ADZU-SOM Level 2
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TB tuldok. was one of the projects that the group was looking forward to implementing. It’s a relatively unique problem to tackle, and not one of those CHP’s that has only been passed on from generation to generation. The activities that we planned to implement under this project included doing an active case finding. We called this activity “TB Patrol”. The group went on a house to house survey and were able to identify 14 people who were presumptive TB (i.e those who had history of ongoing cough of at least two weeks duration). After identifying these people, we made a DSSM station at the center of the barangay where the presumptive TB clients can submit their sputum. It was really something new for us to collect sputum from the patients since most of us were nurses. Fortunately, one of the members of the team is a medical technician. So we relied on her to take us through the process. That same afternoon, three of us, including the MedTech of course, went to the RHU to witness how they do the smearing and staining in the lab. We were very eager to find out the results since this could either make or break our CHP. To our surprise, all of the specimens were negative. We were happy for the people of the community, but we did not know what to do with our CHP anymore. It was a good thing that Dr. Gregorio decided to pay us a visit, and we were able to seek for advice. What the group can do now is Advocate, Communicate and mobilize the community to help build public knowledge, and foster positive attitudes and practices that contribute to efforts to stop TB and remove the sigma that might be getting the way. Aisha Manzur ADZU-SOM Level-2 Hypertension is a disease that has claimed the lives of many and has left many others with disabilities. It is a condition that has no absolute cure, however, with early detection, referral and treatment, it can be controlled with minimal to no complications. In the case of New Barili, the lack of personnel who can satisfactorily take and record blood pressure readings, has greatly affected the health-seeking behaviour of those who are known hypertensives, furthermore, it greatly impairs recognition and referral of early cases of hypertension thus delaying management. Because of this the team decided to conduct a seminar which focused on imparting skills in taking blood pressure readings, and also included basic information about hypertension and when referral is warranted. The activity was attended by the NBBP Team which is composed of seven (7) volunteers each representing one purok and two (2) Barangay Health Workers. It started with a pre-test to gauge what the participants knew about the topic prior to the seminar. It was then followed by a lecture and demonstration. After which, a post-test was administered. The participants also had a return demonstration, for which they were allowed to practice with each other, it was facilitated by the medical students. It ended with the awarding of certificates for their attendance and participation and the announcement of future plans for the projects connected with the control of hypertension in the barangay. Overall, the activity was a success as each member of the team actively participated during the event, this makes all of us hopeful that with the help of the team, in cooperation with the LGU, medical students and all the residents we will be able to achieve our goals in making the residents of New Barili healthier. After all, “TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE THINGS HAPPEN!” Mary Midette Repolidon ADZU-SOM Level 2 They say that the second year level of the ADZU-SOM is one of the most challenging parts of being a medical student as far as academics is concerned. And yes, we totally agree with that. However, this holds true not only in terms of the academic strand of ADZU-SOM, but also in line with the community exposure. This semester’s community immersion seemed to be the most challenging so far as we had the longest 5-day hikessssssssss of our lives, old school style. From our starting point to our way back home, we had our feet geared up as our only mode of transportation. We walked for about a thousand kilometers (can’t exactly estimate) with our bag packs full of survey tools, monitoring equipment like BP apparatus, stethoscopes, weighing scales and of course our packed lunch so we can eat anytime, anywhere, any style. We were accompanied by our very beloved BHW/neighbor Ate Maricel. We walked on a variety of terrains, cemented, rocky, sandy, and grassy and lot of wet, soaked, clay soil. We crossed a number of rivers, walked through corn fields, hiked through a pathless forest, mountains, valleys and plains. On the first few days of our hikes, we all had haggard faces, shoes heavily covered in mud and a few nae-nae slides along the slippery way. But of course our companion, Ate Maricel, wearing a pair of white slippers, remained composed and tidy, not a stain of mud on her white slippers. But towards the end of our hikes series, it was so amazing that we had maintained a very clean footwear despite the pools of mud under the heavy rains. And then it came to us that we have already adapted and knew exactly where to set every footstep on the roads of our barangay. The house to house survey was one of our planned activities for this semester to obtain additional data. We actually have the option of not doing this activity due to security reasons, but cliché they may say, we wanted to do this to help the people. Doing the house to house survey entails real-time monitoring, actual ocular inspection, and an opportunity to promote heath. We had the opportunity to establish rapport with the people while introducing to them Preventive medicine. But another important thing is that it offered an opportunity for us to become better persons because of the respect that we have for humanity, the respect of treating people as equals, that every human being is being tested by life but still able to pull through despite the odds, the kind of respect that gives justice to their existence, not to what they have or where they came from, the respect not to look down on people, the respect to help them be the person they want to be as how they have helped us to be the person we want to become. In reminiscence, the house to house survey was actually a character-builder than a torment to us activity, a test of patience than a subject for complaints. It was actually really strategic that we were able to help others and that they were able to help us build our characters. And we're glad that we have learned something that great in this community exposure. Sitti Shalimar Tahir ADZU-SOM Level 2 Every year on the 15th of October, the world joins hands as it celebrates Global Handwashing Day - one day specially picked to make everyone remember the importance of cleanliness in mankind's most basic and most used tool: the HANDS. On that very day, the New Barili team of medical students chose to raise this awareness at grassroot level, the community's school children. Morning session was allotted to the cheerful Day Care kids while the whole afternoon was dedicated to the active Elementary children. Armed with soap bars which was given to all participants as part of their personal hygiene kits, the children happily demonstrated the handwashing techniques shown to them by the facilitators. Several important lessons on handwashing and hygiene were also taught in a fun and exciting way wherein the children, including supportive parents and teachers, actively participated. On that special day, the small community of New Barili was one with the whole world in celebrating one of the simplest yet most effective ways to prevent spread of diseases: regular handwashing. Now, let's high five to that! Geode Allan V. Diansuy ADZU-SOM Level 2 A house is not a home. Fill a house with love and it becomes a home. But fill a house with sacks of cement and it becomes a bodega. That, we learned upon arrival. It was a hot and humid day. Stepping out from a sardine of a van, we were greeted by glorious news that the small box of a structure that used to shelter us was transformed to literally a bodega. (For a fee of 69 thousand pesos, No, the school will not arrange for the basic need of shelter. Go forth to the jungle and survive.) It took us a good 10 minutes of standing in the middle of a dirt road with all our luggages, electric fans, caserolas and dish dispenser to let the news of being homeless sink in. The scorching heat was a good boost to get out of the sun. The residents were concerned for us (God bless their beautiful souls). So they spread the word, provincial style. Like Belle from beauty and the beast going house to house asking "who has spare space?" 1 hour in, we were already able to scout for properties. Sounds fancy, but the real estate were huts with/without complete walls/ceilings. One hut was enough to cater the 8 of us. (If we can sleep standing up.) One hut didn't even qualify the dictionary definition of a hut. One house offered a dungeon. One house seemed fine but it was situated in the middle of a jungle where our nearest neighbors would be fairies and forest unicorns. One house would require us to poop in the bushes like Adam and Eve. And lastly, one house offered an empty second floor. I wanted the house with the unicorns in the middle of nowhere. But we ended up with the house that offered safety and decent walls. We moved in to the second floor of the house of a small family. In the Tagalog, we akyat the bahay that is not ours. We turned from medical students to akyat bahay gang. The first few nights were not comfortable. We were protected from bad elements but not including insects and other animals. All sorts of bugs, crawling and flying, seem to enjoy our light bulbs. A burglar feline sneaks in every night to steal food. A gecko lizard name Lizzy Mcquire poops at the same spot in our house every single day. We also have a rooster named JetLag who taunts us by cockadoodling every 11pm to halt us from falling asleep. It was a mad house. But eventually we got used to it. It was more well ventilated than our old bodega home. (Count your blessings). We made it our home. It slowly became livable, not lovely but acceptable. A house is not a home. But fill a second floor with love and it becomes a home. Princess Shelmerry Dawn M. Que ADZU-SOM Level 2 Every community immersion brings new experience and new lessons. This time, we learned how to use our resources wisely. After 2 community immersions, we've finally managed to minimize our expenses. We cut down our food supplies and went down to the market only when it's really necessary. In our credits, we spend almost 50 percent less in this community immersion as compared to the previous one. This is in part thanks to our very competent middle child, i mean, finance coordinator. As days passed, our food and money becomes exhausted. About a week before going home, our food supply were almost depleted that we came down to making schedules of what and how much to cook for each meal of each remaining days. A tray of egg lasted for a week with us and there are 8 of us. Life in the community sure is different from what we're used to. It was a place far from our family. We had no choice but to be idependent and responsible. At the end of each 1 month immersion, it is always a new us who return back to our urban home. Fatimah Efthihar Karanain ADZU-SOM Level-2 |
MissionWe are all for a healthier New Barili! Archives
July 2018
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