Some Post-mission Notes [Tiny]

The 2008 mission was the first time I went onsite after staying behind the scenes (in the comfort of the city, you might say) in prior years. Having witnessed and participated somewhat in the actual work of the mission, there are a few observations that probably can be considered in future missions.

1. The Crowds. Oh yes the crowd. We can't blame them. The unavailability of medicines, and their cost whenever available, and the inconvenience of seeking medical help due to the cost of the commute and the distance of it all make an onsite medical mission a 'must go.' Because of this, the limited time operating time for each mission will always have the potential of disappointng people who have queued for so long and not get to see a doctor. This year, those who did not get to see the doctor at least had their blood sugar (not FBS) and blood pressure checked. An effort to try to not disappoint them which probably had a salving effect.
   
   This can now be avoided. Because this year, we know how fast a doctor can process a patient—about 12 patients per hour, or 5 minutes per patient. In operations research terms, the working speed of our doctor is where our critical productivity path lies. If we had more doctors, then the effects can be reasonably expected to be just about arithmetical.
   
   So, if we know how long we are going to operate in an area, we more or less know how many patients can be actually seen by a doctor. Which means, a prior announcement can be made as to how many of the 'early bird' queuers can be seen on mission day with a certain number waitlisted. If other tests/services can be administered in greater volume, then a suitable announcement about that can be made as well.
   
   This way, we maintain a level of intellectual honesty and avoid disappointing people who were looking forward to seeing a doctor but who had to be turned away due to physical constraints.
   
   
2. Meds. Through the years, we more or less have an idea of the meds that are in demand and those that are not although things do change. For example, Lipitor was not as hot as the previous missions. However, vitamins, and the basic over-the-counter meds literally flew out of the boxes. Moving the meds to the site is also the biggest logistical task because as it was done this year and in prior years, the meds moved with the mission personnel. And a lot of them were still in their bulky physician's sample packaging.
   
   I suggest that these be repacked into those large thousand-pill bottles, if possible in the US. Drop a label or stick it on and ship via air or sea to arrive in enough time for us to pre-position them in the site. We will take care of import formalities including customs of course.
   
   Seal all bottles/boxes to be opened only when mission volunteers arrive on site.
   
   
3. Let's be Self-contained. This is the spirit of the medical mission. We go into an area, do our thing and hope we leave an impression. We cannot move making assumptions about what resources government should or would not have in the area. We have no control over how government decides to allocate and distribute its resources. Precisely, we aim to fill a void that is unserviced by government.
   
   
4. Resources do not have to be US-centric only. Given time, credentials, mission documentation, a lot of donations can be generated in-country. Pagasa Medical Mission has a gtrack record. But little to document that it does. I dare say that with a proper mission folio to present to companies in the Philippines, in-country resources have the potential of matching if not exceeding US-donations—at least in quantity. The high quality meds will always be a standout from US donors. But all the large companies have large corporate social responsibility budgets and a few encounter a dearth of organizations through which these resources could be channeled. For example, the members of the Japan–Philippines Chamber of Commerce need only to be asked and there are a few hundred of them. This year, transportation was a problem we did not solve until 48 hours before. It would ave been so easy with the help of Ito-san, the President of Toyota Philippines for example.
   
   But to do this, we need a portfolio. We now have pictures and a video. I am willing to have the patient records for this year and even past years 'crunched' so that we get to extract information from the data they contain. Even if the data is old. We will still end up with a collection of bell curves that might prove to be a revelation. But we would not know it until we get our hands dirty. Please send these slips of paper back to Manila where I can 'outsource' it and have it encoded and processed. You guy probably already know how good we are back here at outsourcing.
   
   Perhaps too good?