A large team of volunteer surgeons is providing critical operations to patients in southern Palawan as part of a five-day surgical mission currently underway in Bataraza.
The medical mission, being held at the RTN Foundation Inc. Hospital, is expected to serve at least 175 patients from Bataraza and nearby towns who require specialized procedures that are often difficult to access in remote areas.
Organizers said the initiative aims to address 75 major surgical cases, including thyroid, cleft lip and palate, hernia, gallbladder, tonsil, anal, and obstetric and gynecologic procedures. Another 100 patients are scheduled to undergo minor operations such as the removal of lipoma and sebaceous cyst.
A total of 63 personnel, including 45 doctors, are participating in the surgical mission. The team is composed of medical specialists from Manila Adventist Hospital (MAH) and Medical Mission to Heaven (MMH), working alongside partners from Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation, Coral Bay Nickel Corporation, Nickel Asia Corporation, and Bataraza District Hospital.
The partners said the activity is part of a long-running outreach program that has been conducted in the area for decades.
According to Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation, this year’s mission marks the 23rd time the activity has been organized since it began in 1990, with the companies and their medical partners “conducting surgical missions bringing hope and transformation to those in need of critical health care services.”
