Finally, the toilet bowls have arrived, oh what an exciting thing it is something like this happens. before it can be finally be distributed to the individuals of this community who needs it, they must first give photo evidence that they have a septic tank cemented, else it might get wasted and become things that is not supposed to be. even after the assigned date of distribution, our project manager shah, was on demand, as some individuals was not able to make it at that assigned date. still we will be able to assess them if they are being used when we get back. see you soon! R.R. Level III medical student Ateneo de zamboanga-Som
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What better way to get the youth engaged than through a fun-filled Summer camp! We came up with this Camp, to showcase our community health plans in a level that the youth can understand. There is something magical about a summer camp experience. Other than our goal of teaching them about health, camp is an independent experience that shapes one’s character and life — a controlled, safe environment where children are able to make their own decisions about simple things and about important things. We taught them the bad effects of drugs and alcohol, the importance of hygiene and nutrition, and generally how fun it is to be healthy! We packed the day with so much activities. We had mini-talks, poster making, role playing, party games, memory games (based on our mini-talks), singing, cheering, lunch feeding and a fun sack race as a grand finish for the day. There was not a single kid who did not get exhausted from all the fun. And there was no single kid who did not take home lessons to share to their families. Camp is a place where kids interact with people face-to-face and, at the same time, learn about themselves and others. Although it was only conducted for a day, the kids were able to establish friendship. We mixed grades 4, 5 and 6 into teams. The seniority feel got eliminated. They played like brothers and sisters. Camps give kids a chance to practice being the best they can be. They experience a place designed to create happy memories and encourage self-expression. I believe we won three times that day. We won with teaching them about health. We won with establishing a good relationship with the youth of New Barili. And we won with having the kids create a more established friendship with each other. It was such a success that we decided to do it next year again! Until the next fun in the sun! Princess Shelmerry Dawn M. Que Adzu-SOM Level 2 Mega box, check.
Unlimited pajamas, check. All the biggest darkest tshirts, check. Sunblock, check. Notebooks, notebooks, notebooks, check. We were all ready for battle. We were supposed to leave on March 23. Few days before 23, it was moved to 24. After a day it was moved to 25. The next day, moved to 26. And then moved to 27. The basic scheduling couldn't even get ironed out. But we are but followers of instructions. One week of nothing to do. It was Holy Week and most of our families left the city. Schedules moved, plans moved. We wish the school had a more solid scheduling body or a more uniform system of instruction. It confuses our time chart. We have to keep on rescheduling our activities for the community. But then these changes make us wiser and challenges us to be more flexible. One week of waiting and packing and unpacking and packing and packing. Our group has #LuggageGoals. To have the least amount of baggage per person possible. We pack a lot smarter now. Only the essentials. Clothes rotate more. Everything in sachets. Promo packing, to say the least. Day of departure. We managed to fit our healthy selves and our mid-sized mega boxes inside a van. 2.5 hours of swerving, 3 bags of vomit and 8 bottles of water later, we arrive at our beloved New Barili. And the adventure begins. Princess Shelmerry Dawn M. Que Adzu-SOM Level 2 While assigned at the community, once in a while, we are visited by our community preceptors. Their arrival is usually not announced and they come as a surprised. On april X, a few days before leaving the community, we were yet surprised, we are visited by our new preceptor, while also a staff in our beloved school, they are also a municipal health officers, assigned in their respected municipality. They came from a long travel, bringing in some food and supplies, while checking our well being and outputs for this exposure. Out of the dozen medical students assigned in their respective barangays, we are the first to be visited. And they still have a long way to travel to check and visit each team throughout region 9.
Richmond L. Rombo Adzu-SOM Level 2 Previously on our last community exposure, we have chosen a few residents of the barangay new barili to be part of our core group. We have trained, and taught them skills and knowledge on how to identify and refer a hypertensive individual. But they have yet to have a BP set, so they can implement the project. On this exposure, we have coordinated with unilab to sponsor our , and provided us with a BP set. Thanks to these , we are now able to mobilize the “BP NB team”. We have conducted re training with the core, and further trained them on how to refer hypertensive individuals to the local rural health unit to further manage the clients. Richmond L. Rombo Adzu-SOM Level 2 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 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 Poor Dental Hygiene: A Community Problem
A problem expressed by the people of New Barili, Tampilisan, ZDN was a concern regarding the presence of dental carries or tooth decay especially on their young kids. To be honest, the actual problem of tooth decay was not identified on the 8 -day survey conducted but rather we saw a poor seeking behavior in terms of dental care and poor utilization on the dental services by the Rural health unit. Luckily one person opened up the concern during the Focus Group Discussion done at the Community Assembly. She was hesitant at first when she opened the topic, but she actually felt better when more people were agreeing, they also saw the problem and related it to their own family and then they realized the need for the problem to be solved. The good thing is, there are actually programs and services by the government health division headed by the Municipal Health Officer, our very own Dra. MaitaLadeza and the Municipal Dentist that could actually make the solutions within reach and other NGOs willing to give a helping hand. All we have to do is the bridge the gap between the people of New Barili to the services offered by the Rural Health Unit or other NGOs. Our strategies for this would be just open the doors for them, but it is actually them who will take advantage of the services, and have better and productive life. Emphasis on teaching the correct principles of hygiene should begin at as early an age as possible. Children will follow the example set to them by their parents or care takers, so adults should lead by example. But why is there a need for proper dental hygiene? Everybody needs this, not just the young one but EVERYBODY. Oral health means more than just an attractive smile. Poor oral health and untreated oral diseases and conditions can have a significant impact on quality of life. And in many cases, the condition of the mouth mirrors the condition of the body as a whole. We god inspired from what the Municipal Dentist told us regarding the dental issues of New Barili and in Tampilisan in general. She said that people underestimate the significance dental problems. Yes people did brush their teeth at least 2 times a day, but is it the correct way of brushing? And when toothaches happen, do they consult the dentist? NO, people just tolerate the pain or end to self-medicate which is a BIG NO, NO because it doesn’t really end the decay but just eases the pain, temporarily. Or they just go to the dentist to have the tooth extracted, no more, no less. This lack of complete set of teeth can bring down the self-esteem of a growing person, especially the generations of the teenagers who just wants to belong and fit it. Teaching the correct principles of hygiene should begin at as early an age as possible. Children will follow the example set to them by their parents or care takers, so adults should lead by example. Geode Allan V. Diansuy ADZU-SOM Level I TOILET PROBLEMS “what goes around comes around”: A Community Problem
Toilets are essential component of a sustainable sanitation system. Diseases, like cholera, affects approximately 3 million people each year, can be basically prevented when successful sanitation prevents human waste from contaminating drinking water supplies. Various outbreaks have occurred and is usually fatal. Even now, many people especially in developing nations have no toilets and still resorts to open defecation. Based on the April 2015 primary survey done by the Medical Students of ADZU-School of Medicince in Barangay New Barili, Municipality of Tampilisan, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines. Of the 175 household surveyed 95% has access to basic toilet facilities. 87% is exclusively owned, while the rest is owned and shared. 63% are water-sealed type, 20% are closed pit holes, 13% has a flush system, and the rest has an open pit or open defecation. While majority of the toilet facilities are water-sealed and considered sanitary, some residents said that they seldom used it. The issue is the effort of carrying heavy galon's of water from distant water source just to pour it on waste. In the Barangay Assembly held in April 2015, the community decided the toilet problems as one of the top 5 prioritized health problems in the Barangay. We on our side as medical students who conducted the survey saw this as a problem. Thus we can say that we know the potentiality of the the problem identified. On our 4-year stay in this community, together with the people, we are eager to help the community on finding a solution on how to solve this problem. It will not be that easy I tell you, but it’s worth all the effort to have a To a Better and Cleaner Future. Mon ADZU-SOM Level 1 The government nowadays has finally realized the role “Health” plays and the impact it brings to the country, hence, they’ve been allotting more thoughts, time, effort and budget to promote good health and provide better health services to its people. Programs such as those aiming to improve the result of health indices have been widely promoted and as much as possible are given free for everyone to avail, especially those that involves maternal and child health. Programs such as those for dental health, prenatal, immunization, deworming, for hypertension, and others are made available. But, even with all these efforts, the goal will not be achieved without the participation of the people.
Based on the survey we conducted in our community, 62% of those that we have interviewed are not aware of the availability of these health services. This is a significant number considering that in achieving good health, the people and the health service providers must cooperate with one another. However, in far flunked areas where sources of information such as the media, the televisions and the like are a luxury, it is possible that the people are naïve to the existence of health services. Some may know but are afraid to avail because they think that they have to pay for it when in fact it is free for everyone or at most pay a very low cost prize for it. “Not knowing” is a dangerous thing as it plays a domino effect. When the people are not aware, they will deprive themselves of health services unnecessarily. It’s not that these people have poor health seeking behavior. I believe that they are actually people who are enthusiastic to improve their health status but doesn’t how without sacrificing financially. Because they “do not know” their health also starts to deteriorate. Diseases that are supposedly curable or preventable, progress and the people suffer unnecessarily. Realizing this sad truth, we acknowledged this problem and vow to do our best to work with the people and help them know and understand what was made for them. Fatimah Efthihar Karanain LEVEL I ADZU-SOM |
MissionWe are all for a healthier New Barili! Archives
July 2018
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