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By: Chiara-Fabienne Pantke (University of Freiburg)
Mabuhay!
This saying describes in one word the open, friendly and warm-hearted nature of the people in the Philippines. Translated, it means; welcome, live long, or even God protects you (…) It is certainly one of the most commonly used expressions. This word can be found at airports, roadside posters and above the entrance gate of the Mabuhay St. Francis of Assisi Clinic in Bugko on Samar.Samar is one of over 7000 Philippine Islands in the western Pacific Ocean, belonging to one of the largest, with 90% of the population being Christian and therefore very devout people. The Most people speak good English, with Tagalog being the main local language.
A year ago I first thought about an internship abroad. I wanted to go to an English-speaking country, see a lot and work independently as well as an interesting culture to get acquainted. First of all, I can say: it was the best decision to do my internship on Samar!
I dealt directly with the main organizers of the Primary Health Care Program at the Mabuhay St. Francis of Assisi Clinic. Shortly afterwards I spoke to Dr. George Lindner, who looked after our stay as an experienced dentist. He explained to me in detail in advance about the internship process and gave me helpful tips on booking flights, visas and donations and much more. I went to the university clinic’s travel medicine about necessary vaccinations. I found out about the necessary vaccinations and malaria prophylaxis six months in advance. Due to appointments and multiple vaccinations, it makes sense to take care of this early on. About five months before my trip, I booked my flights and applied for the visa. For this between 700 and 900€ are needed.At the same time I wrote to dental companies and depots. Donations are shipped from Bonn by Sister Sabine’s mother and do not have to be imported yourself what bypasses baggage and customs issues.
First of all: A big thank you to the supporting companies: Henry Schein, Hu Friedy, NTI, Frasako, Ivoclar and Bausch. We could use the materials very well. For preservatives The clinic is now well equipped to provide high-quality fillings and restorations. From flow to layered composite to matrices, strip crowns and Everything is available and made our work much easier. All the necessary instruments are available. Pliers, levers and other instruments are available in multiple Version available. So we never had any problems finding the right instrument. The two treatment chairs are no longer the youngest and we have new defects almost every day taken aback. (Lack of pressure from the compressor,loose floating table parts and limited functions) That means sometimes you had to improvise and make do with simple things or it just repair it yourself. But I can only rate this experience positively. Georg was also keen to promote our independence. He was always there to help and advise us, but we were allowed to manage the treatment ourselves. The treatment spectrum here includes a clear majority of extractions. Of course we also placed a lot of fillings or prostheses Reworked, but the focus was on surgical activities. The reason for this is a little-developed prevention program. The Mabuhay Clinic has been trying to implement this for some time in-depth prophylactic program and is particularly successful in the child care program. es just repair it yourself. But I can only rate this experience positively. Georg was also keen to promote our independence. He was always there to help and advise us, but we were allowed to manage the treatment ourselves. The treatment spectrum here includes a clear majority of extractions. Of course we also placed a lot of fillings or prostheses Reworked, but the focus was on surgical activities. The reason for this is a little-developed prevention program. The Mabuhay Clinic has been trying to implement this for some time in-depth prophylactic program and is particularly successful in the child care program. es just repair it yourself. But I can only rate this experience positively. Georg was also keen to promote our independence. He was always there to help and advise us, but we were allowed to manage the treatment ourselves. The treatment spectrum here includes a clear majority of extractions. Of course we also placed a lot of fillings or prostheses Reworked, but the focus was on surgical activities. The reason for this is a little-developed prevention program. The Mabuhay Clinic has been trying to implement this for some time in-depth prophylactic program and is particularly successful in the child care program. But we were allowed to manage the treatment ourselves. The treatment spectrum here includes a clear majority of extractions. Of course we also placed a lot of fillings or prostheses Reworked, but the focus was on surgical activities. The reason for this is a little-developed prevention program. The Mabuhay Clinic has been trying to implement this for some time in-depth prophylactic program and is particularly successful in the child care program. But we were allowed to manage the treatment ourselves. The treatment spectrum here includes a clear majority of extractions. Of course we also placed a lot of fillings or prostheses Reworked, but the focus was on surgical activities. The reason for this is a little-developed prevention program. The Mabuhay Clinic has been trying to implement this for some time in-depth prophylactic program and is particularly successful in the child care program. The Mabuhay Clinic has been trying to get one for some time now in-depth prophylactic program and is particularly successful in the child care program. The Mabuhay Clinic has been trying to get one for some time now in-depth prophylactic program and is particularly successful in the child care program.
On 15.02.2019 I arrived in Catarman on Samar. A plane from Clark Field International flies to North Samar here once a day. I was met by Sister Sabine, the German-speaking manager the Mabuhay Clinic and main coordinator of the project, picked up and warmly welcomed. She has been living there for twelve years and cares for herself together with the Filipina Sister Veronica is concerned about the well-being of the interns and the treating doctors. There I met Dr. for the first time. Georg Lindner, his wife Evelyn and the students Alexandra and Laura from Aachen. We resided in the clinic’s own accommodation of German standard (fans, air conditioning, running, clean water, …) With tasty, typical local food every day and great accommodation you can only feel comfortable here.No additional money is required during the internship. But I still exchanged money to go on trips on days off and visit the area explore.
Community is very important here. We not only have regular meals together, but also Sunday church services or trips to exciting spots in the group undertaken. The people working there are very friendly and care about a nice atmosphere! The clinic owns its own water treatment, in-house laboratory, fruit and Vegetable garden and herb processing also called „herbal“. It is well positioned medically and therefore offers work to many volunteers. Basically you are around people all day long and really experience a lot! If you want to keep in touch with family and friends in Germany, you should buy a SIM card directly at the airport in Clark.
Like every morning, we met at 7.30am for breakfast together. It then went to the patients. At first it was of course unusual and I first had to use the most important terms learn how: Masu-ol?, Tekop, and Nga Nga (Are you in pain here?, close your mouth, open your mouth). But after a short period of getting used to it, I was able to do almost any treatment independently to perform. Maria, who takes care of patient admission and hygiene, was always available to help with linguistic differences. Most patients speak good English, but we have it common words learned and used in Tagalog. We assisted each other and Georg was a helping hand with particularly insidious root remains and gave us helpful tips the following treatments.On the first day we were also able to take a lot with us medically. A team of surgeons from the USA was in the clinic and carried out minor procedures directly. coordinated the selection for upcoming surgeries in ITN. Thus, we were able to see many interesting clinical pictures. Such as large tumors in the head, neck area. In direct In exchange with the doctors, we were able to learn a lot about their work on site and in the USA. It is particularly valuable when you interact with others both medically and culturally can exchange doctors. We also had the first power outage, but fortunately it didn’t last long and didn’t limit our treatment. So-called „burn outs“ are here almost everyday and easy to master with the right attitude.Flashlights and candles should always be found somewhere.
A certain routine developed over the course of the internship. At 6.00 in the morning the three of us volunteers were always swimming or doing sports and then we met for breakfast. We worked until lunch and again in the afternoon until about 17.00 Dinner was also shared. In the evening we sat together and played card games reported on the most exciting procedures or planned excursion destinations. A local’s birthday party also became a unique evening program. We danced and laughed with the locals, learned a lot about their lives and enjoyed the celebration with a great buffet.
Over time, I learned more and more words in Tagalog and was able to communicate better with patients. We sorted the material stocks, optimized our instruments and had a lot of fun on treating. The highlight in four weeks was clearly an extraction in the event of a power outage. Air conditioning, fan, light, unit control and air and water cooling did not work more.So, using a cell phone light and flashlight, we illuminated the operating field. We just had to accept the other failed functions. Despite the heat and one in a non-ergonomic sitting position, the tooth ultimately came out and the patient was fine. Also exciting events were self-built adhesive bridges, extensions to prostheses and new ones modeled pin tooth crowns.Interestingly, the treatment went through a certain pattern Middle incisors and lower molars were the most common teeth requiring treatment. The Age range was between two and 92 years. Surgical procedures, but also preservation of teeth, paro and prevention accompanied us every day. Once I even had one He was treated for a dog bite and was present at a lung auscultation. Cheek swelling in a small child with an unknown cause was also medically interesting. Unfortunately we had to put these in a Send to the hospital because there was suspicion of new malignant formation and we could hardly make any statements about it without sufficient digital imaging. The Age range was between two and 92 years. Surgical procedures, but also preservation of teeth, paro and prevention accompanied us every day. Once I even had one He was treated for a dog bite and was present at a lung auscultation. Cheek swelling in a small child with an unknown cause was also medically interesting. Unfortunately we had to put these in a Send to the hospital because there was suspicion of new malignant formation and we could hardly make any statements about it without sufficient digital imaging. The Age range was between two and 92 years. Surgical procedures, but also preservation of teeth, paro and prevention accompanied us every day. Once I even had one He was treated for a dog bite and was present at a lung auscultation. Cheek swelling in a small child with an unknown cause was also medically interesting. Unfortunately we had to put these in a Send to the hospital because there was suspicion of new malignant formation and we could hardly make any statements about it without sufficient digital imaging. Cheek swelling in a small child with an unknown cause was also medically interesting. Unfortunately we had to put these in a Send to the hospital because there was suspicion of new malignant formation and we could hardly make any statements about it without sufficient digital imaging. Cheek swelling in a small child with an unknown cause was also medically interesting. Unfortunately we had to put these in a Send to the hospital because there was suspicion of new malignant formation and we could hardly make any statements about it without sufficient digital imaging.
On our days off we went on exciting trips to nearby Catarman or discovered the Rock Formation on Biri. I found the day trip to Laoang particularly interesting. A very small island East of Bugko which could only be reached by fishing boat. There we were accompanied by a group of children who were completely enthusiastic about us three tall, blonde, light-skinned girls. To our greatest surprise, we were able to register as honorary citizens of the island and were duly welcomed and farewelled by the locals. But the trip itself was also nice an experience. The main means of transport are tricycles, vans or jeepneys. It’s not exactly comfort, but it guarantees a fun ride. I can only recommend the country with its to get to know many different regions.It’s best to take time afterwards to explore other islands.
At the end of my educational and unique internship there was a party. All helpers from the Mabuahy Clinic and their families were invited. We enjoyed the lovingly planned celebration endless good food. Including a Black Forest cherry cake that really rivaled the cakes from Freiburg! We sang karaoke and danced happily until late Night! We celebrated our graduation properly and were able to look back on the past few weeks with pride.
Therefore, a big thank you goes to Sister Sabine and Sister Veronica, who made our time in Bugko unforgettable. A huge thank you goes to Georg and Evelyn for their comprehensive care. Which taught us both practical skills and showed us how much joy you can have on the „other side of the world“.
Finally, I can only warmly recommend an internship and especially the Mabuhay Clinic. Since I arrived alone and didn’t know anyone before, I was really excited and skeptical at first and looking forward to what’s to come. But I had such a wonderful time that I definitely don’t want to miss. I met great people, had the best fellow interns and one enjoyed unique care. The people of the Philippines were all very kindly patient and grateful Even long, difficult procedures were tolerated and with a joyful „Salamat!“ (Thanks!) finished. I’m taking everything I’ve learned with me and hope that I’ll treat it again in Bugko at some point!
So there’s only one thing left for me to write: Mabuhay!
If you have any questions about my internship, please feel free to contact me directly.
chipan@web.de
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