Taytay Hospital Appeal
This is an appeal for the Taytay Hospital in the Island of Palawan, the Philippines.
Although the Philippines is a collection of beautiful islands, the infrastructure is poor and the investment in medical facilities very limited, despite the prevalence of a number of very serious diseases and ailments. The Hospital at Taytay in Palawan is a broken-down building, with limited medical facilities and a very inadequate medicine budget. It is run by a hardworking group of staff who strive, despite the difficulties they face, to provide health cover to an area covering approximately 200,000 people. The head Doctor, Doctor Reyes, is an exceptional human being who battles every day to save lives and treat patients. The priorities are –
1. Funding for Medicines
2. Improvements in basic hospital facilities, infrastructure, and equipment
3. Fresh water and adequate lighting
4. The need for a basic ambulance
5. The need for surgical facilities
6. The need of money for human resources development for training, and travelling to the remote areas to reach those patients who cannot come to the hospital.
7. The need for vaccines
The need for beds, blankets, etc.
The story started with an invitation to a Christening in the village of Taytay. The villagers are not rich but had worked together to make us feel welcome and were very friendly. During the evening I spoke to many people but ended up in deep conversation with a well educated man. He had kind eyes and a truly good heart and told me an account of life at the hospital. He is the head doctor and clearly overworked and under-resourced. Even though he has had offers to work in the USA, he is adamant that the people of Taytay need him. And they do. His name is Dr. Nestor Reyes.
The types of ailments that he treats on a regular basis include; Malaria, Dengue Fever (a particularly nasty disease indeed), TB, Diarrhoea, Amoebic Dysentery and a host of other serious conditions. He explained that the hospital is in a bad condition, that his budget is very small, the hospital is decaying, there is limited water (a broken pump) and there are frequent blackouts (the sun goes down at 18.30hrs all year round), the annual budget for medicine is consumed in just the first month; and then the struggle starts in earnest. There is a lack of surgical facilities, no adequate anaesthesia, and a poor supply of medical instruments.
I have never met a man with such clear eyes and a good heart as Dr. Nestor Reyes and he had a profound effect on me. From that day I vowed to see what I could do to set up a charity and arrange charity events to try to help and give something to those poor people and that lovely village. Any small donations will help to ease some of the problems and pain that they suffer. Any such funds will be supplied directly to the Doctor to spend as he sees fit on Medicines and hospital facilities. No admin fees, handling or any deductions of any kind will be made – every penny will get to the hospital and to the people who need that help. Any donations you make will save lives and help a hard working and dedicated group of human beings.
Update in May, 2006
Susan and Richard Burley held a small charity dinner late in 2005. A small group of international people met and made generous contributions. A total of €1,200 was raised. A small amount I suppose but an amount that was gratefully received by the hospital in Taytay as you will see from below.
In February we converted the Euros into Philippine Pesos and this amounted to just over 72,000 Pesos. We passed this to Dr Reyes in February 2006. The donation was warmly received by Dr Reyes and the hospital staff, who send their heartfelt thanks. There were tears of joy in their eyes when we made the donation and they were overcome with gratitude and emotion.
We visited the hospital whilst we were in Taytay and the conditions were terrible. The building is in need of repair, with holes in the ceilings and, in the rainy season, the conditions are very bad with heavy leaks in most rooms. The basic amenities are very poor, with water and power (lighting) the major problems. The water supply is from a well that is in poor condition, and the power supply is subject to frequent and irregular power cuts or ‘Brownouts’ as they are called in the Philippines. With the sun setting at about 18.30hrs throughout the year, the evening conditions without power and lighting are very bad. We heard accounts of operations being performed by candlelight and had a first-hand account of a woman who had given birth by the light of a mobile phone during a power cut. Dr Reyes explained how the generator (an old British Perkins generator) had just packed up and was now beyond repair. Other items were also in a bad state with the operating theatre light fitments having been out of action for some months. The beds were without any linen and the conditions in most rooms very bad. The Women’s ward has to share a toilet with the Diarrhoea ward and this, of course, is a very bad arrangement.
We were amazed that Dr Reyes can work in such conditions and he has to perform a wide range of duties from Midwifery, Major Operations, Major Burns, and numerous children’s ailments, Malaria, Dengue fever, TB and many other such ailments. We filmed a short interview with Dr Reyes that highlights some of the issues and problems he faces daily. On the subject of children’s health: he and the hospital have an inoculation program for MMR that has a wide area to cover. In all there are over 200,000 people who depend on the hospital and its services.
With the main priority being basic hygiene, the most pressing demands are in fact for clean water and lighting. These will be improved by a new pump for the well, and a solar panel for Brownout events to ensure lighting for emergencies, operations etc. The balance will be spent on medicines, linen for the beds, x-ray film, and other much needed supplies.
We listened to harrowing stories of families who had lost children to Malaria and fever, including a man called Christian, who we met on our way to Taytay, and he explained that he had lost his 3 year old daughter to Malaria last year.
The area is very poor and very basic, but the people are warm and deserving. The donation we made was gratefully received and acknowledged. The endearing comment we remembered was a comment of one woman who said “Why would they do this for us, they don’t know us?” – Well how do you answer such a comment? – “All the people who contributed know your plight, are aware of the need, and were only too pleased to help”. The combined efforts of a multinational group of people coming together for a good cause – quite wonderful.
I was left with the overwhelming impression that Dr Reyes is truly a Saint; he works so very hard in extremely difficult conditions. The young children suffering in the hospital were tragic. He strives to treat and save as many lives as possible. Any gifts, however small,l know will help and be gratefully received.
