BRINGING HOPE FOR BETTER HEALTH

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“Bringing Hope for Better Health” is the tagline of the Canadian Medical Mission Society (CMMS). With their goal focused on fulfilling the urgent health care needs of the marginalized sector of Third World countries, the CMMS finds its roots among a group of dedicated health care  professionals from Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Canadian Medical Mission Society was registered as a Non-profit organization in May 2010, with the group planning and executing their first medical mission in 2011. Following a successful back-to-back two-week mission in Vigan, Ilocos Sur and Tarlac City, Tarlac, the group applied to Revenue Canada for Charity Status. On November 7, 2011, the CMMS was granted a Charity Number which enabled the Society to issue tax receipts to donors.

The vision of organizing an annual medical mission was first proposed to me by Dr. Dan Vargas, Otolaryngologist, with a practice in Surrey, British Columbia. He had previously joined an ENT group that mainly focused on Ophthalmology surgical cases in the Philippines. Since he was considering retiring from his practice in a few years, he set his heart on giving back to the less-fortunate. Having had the privilege of getting a medical degree at the University of the Philippines, his foremost desire was to serve the underprivileged. Being a recipient of a State-subsidized education in the Allied Medical Professions, I likewise felt the obligation to serve the neglected health care needs of the poor. We sat down one evening, early in 2010, and agreed to co-found a charitable group entirely dedicated to surgery, mapping out plans for a Head and Neck Surgical mission team. After lengthy deliberation, it was decided that Family Medicine, Dental services, and an Audiology Clinic would also be included, as part of the group’s scope. The audiology wing of the CMMS grew substantially; hearing aids were dispensed, and batteries were supplied for the first few months. As the group grew, its surgical services were expanded, depending on the availability of volunteer surgeons across varying specialties. 

As of February 2019, the CMMS Team had successfully delivered medical and surgical services across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Annually, a total of 65 to 100 volunteer health professionals composed of doctors, dentists, nurses and ancillary staff dedicate 10 days of their vacation time to tend to the needs of the poor – who otherwise would be unable to receive needed medical intervention due to extremely limited financial resources.

The CMMS is fortunate to have the Society of Philippines Surgeons in America (SPSA) as a valuable partner in its missions since 2014. In one of his annual vacations to Vancouver, Dr. Bayani Ignacio from Nova Scotia - a Canadian citizen and member of SPSA - learned about the CMMS from a Filipino community newspaper. He reached out and generously offered his time and surgical skills, also proposing to get the participation of SPSA volunteer surgeons from different regions of the USA. Many other members from Canada and the US have since joined forces with the CMMS in the pursuit of humanitarian goals common to both of our groups.

To date, the Team has been to Vigan, Ilocos Sur; Tarlac (three times); Mindanao (two times); Tagbilaran, Bohol; Tuguegarao, Cagayan; and Lipa, Batangas. Unfortunately, the mission scheduled in Balanga, Bataan for 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is anticipated that mission work will resume in 2024 when health and travel protocols may be lifted. As an additional service of the CMMS, we assist in equipping hospitals that welcome our mission team in our shared mission of serving the poor through medical, dental, and surgical intervention. In 2012, we responded to the urgent needs of the Tarlac Provincial Hospital for anesthesia machines, mammogram machines, incubators and other hospital supplies. Two years later, we visited a new government hospital in General Santos City, Mindanao, where we saw newborn babies sharing antiquated iron beds, with their mothers sitting on chairs or lying on concrete floors – a far cry from the comfortable bassinets and beds that these populations rightly deserved. Upon returning from our mission in Mindanao, the Society solicited many gracious donors, and with their help, we filled a forty foot-long container with hospital beds, mattresses, dental chairs, x-ray machines, examination tables, patient chairs and other  surgical and hospital supplies that the newly-opened hospital desperately needed. Since then, we have sent four more containers from Canada, with a dedicated Foundation having partnered with CMMS in these efforts.

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As long as the less-fortunate require medical intervention and continue to seek care, and as long as volunteers step forward to help these underprivileged citizens with their medical and surgical needs, the CMMS will continue to serve selflessly in its humanitarian endeavours: to Bring Hope for Better Health across the Philippines and the world.

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#### Evelyn C. Mayuga ####

Evelyn Calica Mayuga is a retired Pediatric Occupational Therapist in Vancouver, BC Canada. She has long been involved in the Filipino community in Vancouver, supporting cultural projects and community events. She was the President of the UP Alumni Association (UPAA) in British Columbia, Canada from 1996 to 1999, and has been presented with Appreciation awards for continually sponsoring scholars and supporting its various charitable programs. Through her work with the CMMS as its Mission Coordinator for the past 10 years, her Humanitarian
efforts were recognized by her Alma Mater, the University of the Philippines. She received the UPAA Distinguished Alumni Award in 2021. She is the Co-Founder, and currently a Director of the CMMS.