Healing Hands

British Alumni Association holds Medical Missions in Mano Amiga

A child from a disadvantaged family has to work doubly hard in order to succeed in life. Giving him access to quality education is part of the solution, but hardly enough to ensure that he would be able to rise from his circumstance. This is why Mano Amiga Academy is more than just a school. It also serves as a community center, seeking to provide students and their families all the necessary support for them to build a better life.

One important aspect is addressing the health concerns of the community. As part of the PHIL-UK friendship week, the British Alumni Association (BAA) and the British Embassy Manila staff held Medical Missions at Mano Amiga Academy.

The project veered away from the traditional “one-day” format of giving free food and medicine. Under the leadership of Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go, the team focused on health education and patient diagnosis. BAA seeks to inculcate among the residents the discipline of regular visits to the local health office and for them to take advantage of the different medical services it offers.

BAA also asked for feedback from the families on how the public health centers could improve their services. It is part of BAA’s objective to help the Taguig local government better address the health concerns in marginalized communities.

The health education component during the Medical Missions focused on disease prevention, reproductive health, proper nutrition, drug abuse responses and other necessary information. Beneficiaries had access to free screening for diabetes and hypertension for adults, and free medical checkups for the children.

*Special thanks to Ms. Nell Belgado for the photos. More pictures from the event could be seen at her flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68837301@N07/page4/