In fulfilling its commitment to take care of the communities where it operates, Nickel Asia Corporation successfully conducted its 7THAnnual Medical-Surgical Mission this February.
The Medical-Surgical Mission is an annual charity of NAC affiliates—Taganito Mining Corporation (TMC), Hinatuan Mining Corporation (HMC), Cagdianao Mining Corporation (CMC), with the participation of Taganito HPAL Nickel Corporation (THPAL) in Surigao del Norte and Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation (RTNMC) and Coral Bay Nickel Corporation (CBNC) in Palawan.
The mission is done yearly in collaboration with provincial and local officials and funded under the participating companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program.
The Mission guarantees that special medical attention is also provided to the residents of all NAC’s mining communities.
This annual mission provides free major and minor operations to the residents of NAC’s impacted communities.
In fact, each operation is estimated to cost at least P50,000, which most patients cannot afford on their own.
It also provides free consultations, check-ups, room accommodation, major and minor surgeries to the individuals listed as patients in the annual medical activity.
Medicines are also free for patients that are prescribed after their surgical operation.
US, PH MEDICAL EXPERTS TEAM UP
Medical practitioners all the way from the United States joined forces with Philippine-based doctors and nurses to perform the needed medical intervention to the patients.
The 58-strong medical team expressed pride and appreciation to NAC for the opportunity to spread goodwill across the globe.
Most of them have been flying in yearly to be part of NAC’s Medical and Surgical Mission.
“It always gives us satisfaction to do this every year. We thank NAC for the opportunity,” said Dr. Joseph Salinas Rastrollo, a Filipino doctor who is a resident of Los Angeles California and has been coming to the Philippines for years as part of NAC’s Medical Surgical Mission.
He added: “The travel is challenging especially because we even carry special medical equipment but at the end of every successful operation, we are grateful and we are proud and happy.”
The medical team convened at the Surigao del Norte Provincial Hospital in the town of Bad-as, Surigao del Norte for the three-day mission which was held from Feb. 3 to 5, 2018.
PATIENTS DECREASING
About 300 patients from Surigao del Norte received free surgical procedures, both major and minor operations, while 184 patients undergone successful operation in Palawan during the three-day Medical-Surgical Mission.
NAC Vice President for Operations Al Diaz said the success of the Mission is strongly manifested this year.
“The Mission is a success because there are less and less patients coming from the barangays who need complex surgical procedures, we consider this a major feat and we are extremely grateful as a corporate citizen,” said Diaz.
Diaz was supported by Dr. Manuel Ringor, TMC’S company physician, saying that
the number of surgical cases coming from the communities has started to decrease.
“The success of the past years becomes the motivation to encourage all residents of Surigao del Norte to participate in NAC’s Annual Medical-Surgical Mission, opening further the opportunity to more citizens of the Province and no longer just to the mining communities,” Ringor added.
According to Alicia B. Ga, the Midwife and community organizer who assisted the patients from Cagdianao, Dinagat Island, they previously brought at least 16 patients, who needed surgical procedures from their barangay alone, to NAC’s Annual Surgical Mission.
This year they only had six patients requiring various surgical cases.
Dr. Roland Mira, the company physician of THPAL, shared that this year, almost 500 residents from all over Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Island, underwent the required screening to qualify for surgical procedures.
He said there were multiple cases of goiter; some 120 OBY-GYNE related cases such as Myoma, among others.
There were also multiple cases of Thyroglossal cyst, nasal polyps, the procedure for Cholecystectomy, Hemorrhoidectomy, even breast mass removal.
In Palawan, the decreasing number of patients was also noticeable.
Compared to the numbers of patients served from the past years of the Medical Mission this year has the least patients with only 187, whoreceived free surgical service from RTNMC and CBNC through FEU Medical Society of South California, Inc.
“This implies that the number of patients with major medical concerns has already decreased because of the yearly Medical Mission of RTNMC and CBNC,” said Reynaldo M. Dela Rosa, ComRel Manager of RTNMC.
The five-day successful surgical mission was held at RTNFI Hospital in Barangay Rio Tuba, Bataraza, Palawan.
Prior to the mission, Community Relations (COMREL) personnel promoted the RTNMC, CBNC Surgical Mission from Southern Palawan to Northern Palawan and at the same time conducted patient mapping.
BLESSING FOR PEOPLE
Vilma Timcang, a former patient from Barangay Talavera in Hinatuan, who was one of the first patients on year one of the Mission, recalled how blessed she felt when expert doctors took care of her when her goiter was removed.
“Everything was taken cared for, all charges for the operation, the food, even transportation to and from the hospital, my family is forever thankful to NAC,” she said.
For Lolong Paredo of Barangay Diaz, San Francisco, Surigao del Norte, the medical-surgical mission is a blessing for poor people, who avaiedl of free surgery.
Lolong’s wife was among those treated in this year’s Mission.
“My wife had been suffering from goiter for more than a year, this medical mission was made for the poor since it is expensive to undergo surgery especially in private hospitals or even just to undergo laboratory tests, I hope that this kind of Medical Mission will continue,” he added.
Rogel Cabauatan, NAC Assistant Vice President for Community Relations and Environment said the members of the communities that NAC serves acknowledge the impact of the Mission.
“The patients just show up in the hospital and leave after operations all feeling well and positive, without any financial worry whatsoever. To most of them, this is heaven-sent,” said Cabauatan.
