responsible for coordinating with the sponsors and partner health professionals. Before each mission, Medical Missions Inc.-Student Group also coordinates with the local hospitals and other medical professionals in the target location in order to assess the medical needs of the patients, the venue to be converted into a “hospital setting” for the mission, and any equipment that the local partner might lack. A team of medical students, nurses, and doctors, along with the necessary medical equipment and medicines, is then organized and brought into the location according to those needs.
LOVE YOURSELF, INC. LOVE YOURSELF Malate, Manila
Three years ago, Chris Lagman was at a Christmas party with other Gay Filipino Professionals when one of them pulled Chris aside to talk in private. Chris would recall this same conversation months later, when the relatives informed him that his friend had died from a “mysterious ailment.” In that conversation two years ago, Chris learned his friend was HIV positive. It was the first of many such stories. The following year, several more of Chris’ friends died from HIV related complications. His friends began to ask, “Why is it that suddenly a lot of your friends are passing away?” HIV was never prevalent in the Philippines, but recently the number of new HIV cases being reported has been rising. In May 2013, there were 415 newly reported cases—the highest since the Philippines’ first reported case of HIV in 1984. The latest data from the Department of Health confirms this trend: the number of new cases for 2013 shows a 79% increase of new HIV cases from the same period last year. Nine out of ten of these are men, most under 30, and most contracting HIV from unprotected sex. And this stands in contrast to the dearth of informed discussion in the Philippines on sexuality and health, add to that the stigmas homosexuality and HIV still carry. Chris believes that it is partly the stigma of homosexuality that led to the increase in HIV cases among homosexuals. Because it drives gay sex underground and forces gay men to act in a “stealthy and shadowy way,” the inability of public discussion to acknowledge homosexuality and sexual intercourse actually fuels risky behavior. While the stigma of homosexuality can partly account for the spread of HIV, it’s the stigma of HIV itself that deters people from HIV tests. Even among fellow homosexuals, Chris’ friend could only disclose his HIV status in private. Preventing the spread of HIV, Chris realized, requires more than providing health services, but also changing the attitudes Filipinos have towards homosexuality and HIV. With this in mind, Chris Lagman along with his fellow LGBT professionals started Love Yourself Inc., a non-profit organization 42
that focus on the youth segment of the MSM (men having sex with men) community — the most vulnerable considering their lifestyle and easy access to sex. They focuses their efforts on promoting awareness about HIV, educating the public, and providing testing and counseling services for the MSM community and persons living with HIV. They chose the name “Love Yourself” to indicate their distinctive approach to HIV prevention: rather than using fear-based tactics that reinforce the stigmas, Love Yourself believes that preventing the spread of HIV is best approached with a message of selfawareness and healthy self-love. “When people take care of themselves and love themselves, they will stay away from risky behavior that will expose them to the virus,” Chris says. Love Yourself Inc. promotes this message, its HIV awareness and education campaigns, and other activities through several platforms. In their first year, they were able to reach 3,000 people in peer education this way. More recently, Love Yourself Inc. has used this approach to change prevailing attitudes towards HIV testing. Early last year, Love Yourself launched ‘Project Indulge’ - a marketing campaign using imagery of mostly nude men —to encourage the public to regard HIV testing as part of a regular wellness routine. ‘Project Indulge’ has been hailed by international groups and media as one of the world’s most innovative HIV prevention campaigns. Since it began,The Love Yourself Project has conducted several series of HIV tests—14 free HIV mass tests and 4 private and confidential. To date, 6,136 individuals have been tested—of which 16 percent or 964 individuals tested positive. And in partnership with the Department of Health’s Research Institute of Tropic Medicine (RITM), Love Yourself Inc. took over the RITM clinic in Malate, now “The Love Yourself Hub.” Of the reported cases of HIV in the Philippines in 2012, 30% came from The Love Yourself Hub. But while these numbers attest to the soundness of the Love Yourself approach, the number of new HIV cases continues to rise. In early 2013, The Love Yourself Hub welcomed 1,028 people—a five times as many as the same period the previous year. So to respond to the increasing prevalence of HIV and the increasing demand for their services, Love Yourself Inc. plans to expand its reach. At present, Love Yourself Inc. is raising funds to establish a clinic and community center near Shaw, chosen for its accessibility and in anticipation of the emergent gay districts in Ortigas and Mandaluyong nearby. “Love Yourself ANGLO” is envisioned as a community center, counseling and education space, and HIV clinic — a safe and affirming place for the MSM community. New clinics in Cebu, Angeles, Pampanga and Pasay City are also opening soon.
medical missions, Inc.
General Santos Medical and Surgical Mission University of Santo Tomas, Manila
For most Filipinos, especially those living in rural areas, high quality healthcare remains inaccessible. Though the medical procedures and medicines already exist, the high cost of medical check-ups, drugs, and other medical treatments prevents most Filipinos from seeking medical attention. Other times, the local hospitals are understaffed or ill-equipped to accommodate all who seek medical attention. The Medical Missions, Inc. – Student Group (MMI-SG) is a student organization of University of Santo Tomas (UST) that aims to make quality healthcare accessible to those who need it most by bringing the hospital to them. As its name suggests, the organization conducts medical missions, but executed at a caliber and level of expertise that effectively recreates a hospital setting in each of their chosen communities, and all for free.
Last summer, Medical Missions, Inc.-Student Group partnered with the local government of General Santos and the General Santos Doctors Hospital Foundation to bring a team of over 117 registered doctors and nurses with a priest, medical and nursing students, and other registered paramedical personnel to General Santos City. A local school was provided by the local partners and converted into a hospital, the classrooms turned into wards, the audio-visual room turned into a sterile operating room, and so on. All in all, Medical Missions, Inc. served over 2078 patients in General Santos through free medical and surgical consultations, free surgeries (such as Thyroidectomies, Hernioraphies, Hysterectomies, Cataract Surgies, and many more), and the distribution of free drugs. By recruiting Medical Missions Inc. alumni and doctors of UST Hospital, Medical Missions Inc.Student Group was able to give free consultations (medical, obstetrics and pediatrics), medications, minor surgeries (such as circumcisions, excisions of cysts and benign tumors) and even major surgeries (thyroidectomies and abdominal surgeries, among others), which are rarely done in other medical missions. Medical Missions Inc.-Student Group continues to expand its operations, amassing more equipment and building a more extensive network of professionals and beneficiary communities. In the future, they are also planning to include other allied health professionals like medical technologists and pharmacists to future missions.
Medical Missions Inc. – Student Group is able to do this because of its experience as an organization conducting medical missions, the size of its membership and volunteer base, and its extensive alumni network, many of whom are the country’s leading medical professionals in their field. Medical Missions Inc. – Student Group is the student youth arm of Medical Missions Inc., a non-government organization composed of and run by alumni of the student group established by then UST medical student Anthony Galleta in 1961, with a membership of over 300 medical students from the Faculty of Medicine of Surgery. It is supported by fundraising activities, alumni donations, and sponsorships from private organizations, clubs, unions, or local officials. Medical Missions Inc.-Student Group conducts over ten medical missions annually, with the members and officers 43