Mayor Lim pays tribute to Kansas medical mission

Tagbilaran Mayor Dan Lim yesterday paid tribute to the Medical Missions Foundation (MMF) of Kansas City which wrapped up this year's edition of the medical and surgical mission in Bohol. Speaking during his weekly radio program over Station DyRD, Lim said the Kansas medical practitioners “treated us as their very own”. “They taught us what real humanity is all about. They showed us what real kinship is all about,” Lim stressed.

The delegation was headed by Dr. Doug Girod, Dean of the University of Kansas Medical Center. Joining Girod were head and neck surgeons Doctors Christopher Larsen, Keith Sale, Clinton Humphrey and Luke Bachmann. Also part of the team were Dr. Trudi Grin, a pediatric ophthalmologist, Doctors Douglas Cusick and Regina Nouhan, plastic surgeons; Dr. Margaret Estrin, pathologist; Dr. Brian McCroskey, general and vascular surgeon; Dr. Timothy Wilson, family practice medicine.

The other members of the medical mission were Dr. John Hubbard, Cynthia Hubbard, Patricia Eckart, Nadine Louise Davis, Kelli Ann Pryor and Philip Walton, anesthesia; and operating room nurses Phyllis Van Horn, Cheryl Scott, Nancy Rhoades, Cheryl Scott, Laura Harrigan, Florence Rivera and Ernesto Rosas. They were assisted by nurses and specialists Arvin Figueroa, Corazon Zamora, Marilyn Dizon, Jeffrey Davis, Lilibeth Irisari and Tess Laoruangroch. Medical student Douglas Cowan, volunteers Dr. Luz Racela, Barbara Cusick, Laura McCroskey and Christopher Cusic, Bernard Fuhrmann who took care of patient statistics and scheduling and Mark Nolte on biomed completed the team. 

This year's medical mission was conducted in cooperation with the Tagbilaran City government, the Tagbilaran City Health Office, Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital, University of Bohol , Bohol Medical Society and the Rotary Club of Upper Tagbilaran.      According to Rodney Lumuthang of the Rotary Club of Upper Tagbilaran who coordinated the medical mission, a total of 84 surgical patients availed of the services of the health professionals in addition to 680 medical outpatients. Lumuthang said the mission members also gave hundreds of toothbrushes, stuffed toys, chocolates and candies to children in the Sunshine Home and the Bohol Crisis Intervention Center .

They also distributed goodies to children in the elementary schools in Taloto and Cabawan in Tagbilaran and Malayo Sur in Cortes town. In acknowledging the sacrifices of the group, Lim lauded its members “who can afford to bask in luxurious confines in America and other advanced countries”. “And yet, instead of pampering themselves because of the strides that they have made in life, they preferred to travel to a distant place to share their talents to people who need them badly,” he added. Lim said that the activity proved that there are still medical professionals who truly care for the sick and the ailing and that people can still render special service even when they don't expect anything in return. “After everything is said and done, there is only one thing left for the city of Tagbilaran to do: to express its gratitude to the heroes and heroines who contributed to the success of the medical mission held last Nov. 5-10,” the mayor said.

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