Medical Ministry International in Philippines
Medical Ministry International Philippines is one of the focused destinations for our Surgical Teams. Projects are led by longtime MMI Asia Project Director, Dr. Allan Melicor, who has been serving patients with Medical Ministry International teams for over 15 years in various Philippines projects, such as Aguinaldo, Tboli & Palawan, and Aurora & Ifugao. Dr. Allan and the teams have contributed enormously to the patients who need support after one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record, Typhoon Haiyan, hit the Philippines in 2013. Medical Ministry International has had a long-term relationship with Bethel Baptist Hospital in Malaybalay, Bukidnon.
Allan B. Melicor, M.D.
Dr. Allan B. Melicor, pictured left, is a General, Cancer and Laparoscopic Surgeon serving with Medical Ministry International as a Project Director throughout Asia. Allan was trained in the Philippines, U.S.A., U.K., and Japan. He lives with his wife Blessie, an RN, and son Allen Paul in the United States. They were introduced to Medical Ministry International in 1993 when a surgical team went to the Philippines. After volunteering that year, Allan has continued to host projects at the Bethel Baptist Hospital in Bukidnon, Aklan Baptist Hospital, Leyte Baptist Hospital & Leyte Province, Palawan Baptist Hospital and in North and South Palawan, the Tboli Evangelical Clinic and various places in Northern Philippines, as well as in Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Related to his mission with Medical Ministry International, Dr. Allan Melicor stated:
"We are gathering to show the love of Christ through our words and deeds. As we are representing Jesus to the people, our behavior needs to represent our faith. We ask that you pray in preparation for this project. Please pray that the people we are going to help and our local partners can discover God through the service we will share with them. We will be praying that your preparation and departure from North America to Philippines goes well as we work together to meet the physical and spiritual needs of our neighbors."
Dr. Allan Melicor and the Team - Mission 2 Heal, Philippines, 2016
Patient Stories:
This is Jan, our Philippines project miracle baby. In the photo, he just arrived to our Project Team when he was 27-days-old. He was sent to us by the governor of the province with a non-reducible hernia. He was gravely ill. Had our team not been available, he would likely have not have survived. The closest local surgeon was 5 hours away, the family could not afford to take the baby there. We believe God placed our team at the right place at the right time. He underwent emergency surgery and did very well.
Not only was the surgery difficult due to Jan’s condition, there were also technical difficulties. The power went out in the middle of the surgery! The procedure was completed in the dark using only the light from cell phones and flashlights.
Amazing "before and after" photos show the life changing work of Medical Ministry International for this Philippino man. He is a 45-year-old man who had a goiter that was slowly increasing in size for 14 years. The surgery was successful, and the patient was discharged two days after his surgery.
Medical Ministry International's lead staff in the Philippines, Dr. Allan Melicor, and the team has worked in the Philippines for over 15 years. Serving patients and helping to make their lives healthier and more meaningful is always our ultimate goal!
“FOLLOWING THE TYPHOON HAIYAN’S RESCUE PROJECT
The devastation was total and immense. One town we visited was the town of Tanauan, which had the highest deaths reported at 2,000. 100% of villages destroyed, 100% of homes destroyed, 100% of crops destroyed. The vice mayor, who is also a doctor, brought us to a far-flung coastal village to do medical relief mission. Our team was the first of such help that came to the village. We spent the whole day there, and saw numerous patients with wounds, gave tetanus shots, performed wound care, completed surgery on complex wounds, repaired a woman’s face that been damaged from her nose to her upper lip, treated many with respiratory, skin, and gastrointestinal problems, and so on.
In another location, we pulled out glass splinters from the skull of an elderly woman who was brought in dazed. This occurred at a hospital where we were called to support the medical doctor who had been on duty continuously for four days. At the same hospital, we removed a 4-inch glass splinter from a young woman’s thigh, another from a 16-yr old boy who had difficulty walking due to a piece of glass embedded on his heel. We saw many more patients with infected wounds and scalp lacerations.””
Project Sites:
Aguinaldo
Aguinaldo is in the region of Eastern Visayas, Philippines. It is about 413 miles (or 665 km) South-East of Manila, the country's capital. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 17,331 people.
* Project Description:These projects include medical, surgical, and dental care. Both services are not readily available to the population due to the lack of adequate facilities and trained personnel. The projects address some crucial needs in these two localities.
Elevation
211 m (692 ft.)
Climate
The climate is generally cool – the 20s centigrade.
Rains may come sporadically, mostly in the afternoon.
Alfonso Lista
Alfonso Lista has a population of around 33,000 people. It is a municipality in the province of Ifugao, Philippines.
These projects include medical, surgical, and dental care. There is a district hospital in Alfonso Lista where major surgical procedures are completed. Potia District Hospital is a level 1, 25-bed government hospital with OR, x-ray and laboratory facilities.
Elevation
141.5 m (464 ft.)
Climate
The climate is tropical. Most months of the year are marked by significant rainfall. The short dry season has little impact.In Alfonso Lista, the average annual temperature is 26.2 °C. Precipitation here averages 1945 mm.
Aurora
Aurora is a province in the Philippines located in the eastern part of Central Luzon region, facing the Philippine Sea. Its capital city is Baler.
* Project Description: On these surgical projects, MMI will be serving the indigenous and tribal folks, as well as fishers and farmers in Aguinaldo. In most cases, surgical services are in short supply or beyond their available means. We do our best to fill in the gap with surgical services that the community needs. The team’s presence encourages and trains the local hospital staff through fellowship and transfer of technology, specifically in surgical and nursing skills.
Elevation
10 m (33 ft.)
Climate
On average, the temperatures are always high.
Leyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. In November 2013, the historic island province of Leyte was one of the worst hit provinces when Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) ravaged most of Central Philippines. It is still recovering from the damage caused by the fury of the typhoon's winds that packed at 370kph (231mph).
* Project Description: These projects can include surgical care, dental care, and primary care in the Leyte province. MMI tries to fill in the gap with the medical services that the community needs. The team’s presence also encourages and trains the local hospital staff through fellowship and transfer of technology, especially in surgical and nursing skills.
Elevation
59 m (194 ft.)
Climate
On average, the temperatures are always high.
Mayoyao
Mayoyao is a municipality in the province of Ifugao, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 17,331 people. Dental care and surgery are not readily available to the public.
* Project Description: The team works in basic government health facilities. These projects address the locals’ healthcare needs, with much of the population being farmers. Dental patients are generally walk-ins, while the local doctors see surgical patients initially and they are admitted the day before their scheduled procedure. The team makes the final evaluations and case scheduling.
Elevation
211 m (692 ft)
Climate
Mayoyao is classified as a Tropical rainforest climate. It is relatively cool and wet throughout the year, with an annual average rainfall of 3500 mm.
T'boli & Palawan
T'boli is a tribal village, mainly made up of T'boli people. They once lived as nomads and itinerant farmers but they have since settled in this village for the past 30+ years. Some villagers live in far off mountainous communities. It usually takes them a day of walking to reach the site of the surgical project.
Roxas, Palawan is at the northern part of the province of Palawan. This province is at the western side of the Philippines. The town of Roxas is largely a fishing and farming community. Many patients live in poverty in the town as well as around the surrounding areas. They are normally able to take care of their basic needs, but such expensive procedures such as surgery are often times beyond their financial reach, especially if they have to travel to the capital town of Puerto Princesa. We work to make surgery more affordable and accessible.
* Project Description: The Philippine surgical projects in T'boli and Palawan serve the indigenous and tribal folks as well as farmers and fishers. Surgical services are virtually non-existent in Tboliland and is in short supply or beyond their means among the people in Roxas, Palawan. MMI tries to fill in the gap with the surgical services that the community needs. The team’s presence also encourages and trains the local hospital staff through fellowship and transfer of technology, especially in surgical and nursing skills.
Elevation
1,418 m (4,654 ft.)
Climate
On average, the temperatures are always high.
Travelling on a Project
About Philippines
COUNTRY BACKGROUND
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is a unitary sovereign and archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Situated in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of about 7,641 islandsthat are categorized broadly under three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The Philippines is considered to be an emerging market and a newly industrialized country, which has an economy transitioning from being based on agriculture to one based more on services and manufacturing. The travel and tourism sector is a major contributor to the economy as well.
LOCATION:
Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam
GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES:
13 00 N, 122 00 E
MAP REFERENCES:
Southeast Asia
TOTAL AREA:
300,000 km²
BORDER COUNTRIES:
Malaysia in the south-west, Indonesia in the south, and Vietnam in the west, Taiwan, and mainland China to the north
COASTLINE:
36,289 km
MARITIME CLAIMS:
Irregular polygon extending up to 100 nm from coastline as defined by 1898 treaty; since late 1970s has also claimed polygonal-shaped area in South China Sea as wide as 285 nm
CLIMATE:
Tropical marine. It is typically hot and humid.
TERRAIN:
Mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands
ELEVATION EXTREMES
LOWEST POINT:
Philippine Sea - 0 m
HIGHEST POINT:
Mount Apo - 2,954 m
