USTMAAA Foundation
Successful Medical, Surgical & Dental Mission
USTMAAA Foundation plays a cardinal role in our surgical education
One and half years ago, Dr. Stella Evangelista and Dr. Ferdinand Ramos initiated a small talk on having just a surgical mission. Further meetings expanded the mission to a surgical and medical mission. It took 7 months of intensive planning to bring this mission into fruition on 9th to 13th of January 2023.
The mission provides safe affordable surgical services, strengthens collaboration of USTH, USTMAAA and other likeminded organizations (like the Ohana Hawaii Medical Missions, Medicine Class 1980, MMI, Titans USA/Phil). The surgeries done in-house leaves an indelible impact on the education of residents, interns and medical students as these are done in an academic setting -- ideal, intellectual, well planned and well-cared.
At the first ever in-house surgical mission there were 99 surgeries done (61 majors, 48 moderate/minor), 210 volunteers -- of which were 137 residents, interns, medical students and nursing students. Reflections coming from the postgraduates and undergraduates were touching emphasizing the learning experience and exposure -- "ganoon pala ang surgical mission, oh what an experience." The educational impact, the social impact of the surgical mission was extraordinary.
Today we continue on a monthly 12 to 15 indigent patients with USTMAAA Foundation providing P10,000.00 for each and the USTH giving the full Philhealth benefit in favor of the patient. Most patients in this program pay nothing extra! A world apart from just being an ordinary clinical patient.
As of August 2023, we have now 143 recipients of the surgical indigency of the USTMAAA-UST indigency program.
This program, too, has opened new doors for more donors. The medical fraternities are getting involved showing social responsibility as part of their brotherhood. The USTMAAA Foundation now plays a cardinal role in surgical education and exposure!