The making of a diamond

MANILA, Philippines - It takes extreme pressure and heat to transform carbon into diamonds, the hardest known natural material. For their diamond anniversary, the Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, together with the Rotary Club of Paco, Manila, looked for gems in the medical world who have been rendering community service in far-flung areas of the country, in “Diamonds in the Rough: The National Search for Outstanding Young Doctors in the Community Setting.”

“It takes a special kind of dedication to one’s calling as a doctor to give up the promise of personal comfort and profit in the spirit of true service,” says Alvin Anastacio, project chair and the fraternity’s standard bearer.

The winners – one from each region – are doctors who have made a significant impact on his or her community, have been able to empower the groups they are involved in, and have made personal contributions to the health and well-being of the community. They are all also 40 years old and below. “We wanted to have young role models that we can look up to and relate with,” says Anastacio.

Among those included on the panel of judges are former Department of Health secretary Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan, UP Manila chancellor Dr. Ramon Arcadio, DOH Human Resource and Development Bureau director Dr. Kenneth Ronquillo, Philippine Medical Association vice president Dr. Oscar Tinio, former mayor and Galing Pook executive director Dr. Eddie Dorotan, and DSWD Undersecretary Alicia Bala.

After sifting through the many nominees, three outstanding doctors were recognized in an awards ceremony last month. Aside from P100,000 worth of prizes, the doctors were also given a P100,000 grant for a sustainable project in their communities.

Dr. Vietrez David-Abella, the awardee from Luzon, has served in Virac, Catanduanes for 12 years. Among her many achievements, she helped establish the Catanduanes Breast Cancer Support Group and is also the co-founder of the Virac Ladies Circle, a women’s empowerment and literacy advocacy group.

She points out that being a doctor, especially in a tight-knit community, entails being involved not only in health issues of the area, but also in community affairs. “If you are an effective doctor, you cannot confine yourself to medical problems. You must address the problems in the community.”

On receiving the Diamonds in the Rough award, she says she was surprised and could not believe that she was chosen. “When I compiled my past achievements, I felt I haven’t really done enough,” she says, adding that there are so many things that she would still like to do to help her community. As a woman general surgeon, she has had many patients with breast cancer, making the issue very close to her heart. She plans to use the grant for her breast cancer prevention advocacy.

“Whatever achievements I’ve had, it’s because of the support of my family and my community,” she says. “If we are committed to the work we do, we’ll be able to find solutions.”

Dr. Mennie Cabacang, the winner from the Visayas, serves in Maslog, one of the poorest municipalities in the province of Eastern Samar. Despite its financial status, the municipality has some of the best health statistics in the region, largely due to the efforts of Cabacang, who is the municipal health officer (MHO).

Unlike many doctors today who study nursing to be able to go abroad, Cabacang started as a midwife and registered nurse, placing 13th in the Midwifery Board Examination. She then decided to pursue further studies in medicine to be able to help her community even more, which she did in 2003 as a rural doctor in Maslog, as soon as she obtained her medical license. Just two years after that, she was appointed as the MHO.

In her advocacies, Cabacang focuses on improving the health workforce by organizing and conducting trainings for health workers and providing emergency kits and supplies to health and nutrition posts. Through her leadership as MHO, Maslog has become a four-time winner of the Green Banner Award, a recognition given to the municipality that is best in implementing nutrition projects.

Like Cabacang, Dr. Afdal Kunting of Mindanao also started as a nurse. Since graduating in 1999, he has served his community as a teacher at his alma mater, the Ateneo de Zamboanga School of Medicine, as a community organizer, and as a rural doctor as part of the Ateneo Medical Assistance for Doctorless Areas. One of the key programs Kunting has initated is the Family Health Guardian program, wherein family members are taught sanitation, hygiene, as well as family planning specifically designed for Muslims. Kunting has also led training programs to improve the competence of physicians in critical care in Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

He further spreads his knowledge and influence as part of the proposal review team of THEnet – Training for Health Equity Network – which aims to draft students from indigenous and underserved areas who will eventually become doctors who will be able to serve in their respective communities.

“I get my inspiration from my religion, Islam,” says Kunting. “Islam is not just a religion but a way of life. It has taught me to be of service to humanity and that every good deed is charity.”

Finding even more ways to help the community, Kunting introduced the solar disinfection, a water purification system, significantly reducing the incidence of water-borne diseases in his area. He is currently the district health officer of the Sangali Health District, Zamboanga City. In the future, he plans to use his grant to fund projects such as Casa Amparo and Operation Baby Heart.

In a world where it is so natural to leave the country for an easier, more materially rewarding life, doctors like these three awardees who have decided to stay and use their skills to serve their communities are true heroes and role models, not just as doctors, but as leaders, and citizens.

“It is my fervent dream to have not just one diamond in the rough but a whole bucket of diamonds,” says Kunting, highlighting what each of the three winning doctors strive for through their work – to spread their knowledge, expertise, and blessings to the whole community.