
Over 300 dedicated members of the medical community, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and various healthcare practitioners, joined forces on Wednesday, Sept. 6, to provide free surgical procedures and medical care to underprivileged patients across the country.
The National Surgical Outreach Day is an annual initiative led by the Philippine College of Surgeons (PCS) and the PCS Surgery in the Underserved Regions and for Education (SURE) Commission.
Surgeons and medical personnel started their operations at 9 a.m. for this year's event, which had the theme "Operasyon para sa Sambayanang Pilipino" (Operation for the Filipino People).
The synchronized "cutting time" signaled the start of procedures and operations conducted in various operating rooms (ORs) at both private and public hospitals nationwide.
PCS president, Dr. Maria Concepcion C. Vesagas, said around 100 private and public hospitals actively took part in the event.
The simultaneous surgical operations were carried out via Zoom and were broadcast live on PCS Facebook page.
Dr. Arlene Keh, director of the PCS SURE Commission, shared that multiple chapters of organizations, such as the PCS, Philippine Society of Anesthesiologists, and the Operating Room Nurses Association of the Philippines came together to organize the “life-changing” surgeries for indigent patients.
The collaborative efforts of surgeons, anesthesiologists, and operating room nurses serve as a powerful response to address the unmet and sometimes disregarded surgical needs of people across the country, PCS said. (Zekinah Elize Espina)