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Priest devoted to helping urban poor in Philippines |
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| 이름 | 이다영 | 등록일 | 15.11.06 | 조회수 | 246 |
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MALABON, Philippines — In the early morning of Oct. 22, dozens of people
wait for the opening of the Joseph Clinic in the Heart of Mary Villa compound in
a poor part of Malabon City. Together with Navotas and Caloocan, Malabon, north of Manila, is one of the three poorest cities in the Metro Manila area. The clinic opens at 8 a.m., but people are already in line at 7 a.m. Since it was opened on Jan. 26, 2013, by Korean priest Choi Young-sik, the clinic has been providing free medical services to hundreds of the poorest people every day. The number of waiting patients increases as the opening hour approaches. About 7:30 a.m., a uniformed security guard starts letting patients through to the front door of the clinic compound. As there are only 20 seats, many patients have to stand as they wait their turn. Furtunata Bakaltos, 71, who has hypertension and arthritis, walked 30 minutes to reach the clinic. This is her fourth visit. She said clinic staff were very kind and supportive. Up to 11 a.m., more than 200 patients had visited the small clinic to avail themselves of free medical services and medicine. The clinic has more patients on Tuesdays and Thursdays because medical students from the Manila Central University volunteer on those days. In addition, family medicine and dental services are provided on those days. Rev. Choi has expanded the Joseph Clinic's charity work. The clinic now also provides free meals to malnourished children, and scholarships to dozens of underprivileged primary and secondary school students. Nikka Jane Abella, 24, who visited the clinic because of a cough, said word of the clinic spread quickly after the clinic opened because poor people in the area had never had access to medical treatment. But she was also concerned about Choi, 68, who is in Seoul for treatment for a serious illness. "Father Choi is a caring, kind man," she said. "When he was here in the Philippines, he used to greet the patients waiting here in the morning. He liked kids and gave them candies." Choi has been suffering from myelodysplastic syndrome, a condition characterized by the ineffective production of blood cells. Dr. Shin Wan-shik, medical director of Joseph Clinic Seoul, said Choi had normal white blood cell and platelet levels but had problems with producing red blood cells. The priest was diagnosed at Manila Central University Hospital last December. He went to the hospital for severe anemia and fever but was found to have pneumonia, too. Choi traveled to Korea on Jan. 4 for further treatment. "When I met him in January, he was almost dead because of the severe pneumonia," Shin said. The priest recovered after months of treatment. Choi is scheduled to undergo a stem cell transplant on Nov. 17 to treat his myelodysplastic syndrome. According to Shin, the survival rate is about 30 percent, which he said was not so bad. "We need to wait and see how his health condition goes," Shin said. "It will take a month or so to determine whether or not his condition has improved enough for him to be able to return to the Philippines to resume his work." Dr. Evelyn Lopez Del Castillo, a retired pediatrician who volunteers at the Joseph Clinic, misses Choi very much. "He is the type of person who would never say no," she said. Lopez Del Castillo met the priest in 2013, months after the Joseph Clinic opened, through a priest in her church. "Father Choi asked me to find a doctor," she said. "At that time, he had only a nurse, a driver and an administrative person." Now, the Joseph Clinic has two doctors — an internal medicine doctor and a pediatrician — two nurses and several other staff members who handle the clinic's operation and maintenance. Lopez Del Castillo said Choi had contributed a lot to improving the health of people in the community. "I think the health and dignity of the people here have improved because they are able to get a free medical checkup and free medicine, not only for acute diseases but also for illnesses that can last a lifetime, such as diabetes and hypertension," she said. The doctor is the first person who noticed something wrong with Choi's health. "He looked so pale, so I encouraged him to go to hospital for a medical checkup, but he didn't follow my advice and kept saying he was OK," she said. Tears welled when she recalled how a visiting Korean delegation from the Joseph Clinic Seoul told her that Choi had asked them to treat her and the rest of the local staff to a wonderful dinner. "He will come back," she said, wiping away tears. Joseph Clinic Seoul staff, including Shin, made a five-day visit to the Philippines last week to celebrate Rev. Chang Kyung-geun's appointment as clinic director. Shella Marie Evascom, a nurse of the Joseph Clinic, said Choi was a great leader admired by local staff for his sacrifices to help the poorest of the poor and the trust he showed. She said Malabon City residents were thankful for the priest as well as the Korean medical volunteers for the feww medical services they provided "People always ask me when the Korean medical missions are coming," she said. Korean medical volunteers visit the Joseph Clinic almost every three months. This month, doctors and nurses affiliated with the Catholic Health Association in Seoul will treat patients outside of Malabon City. Medical outreach is important in the slum areas, where many poor people know about the Joseph Clinic but cannot afford to pay for public transport to get there. The Joseph Clinic is only one of the facilities inside the Heart of Mary Villa compound, which had been used as a shelter for single mothers and unwed pregnant women for quite some time until recent years. It was renovated in 2011 after Choi received approval to use the space to provide free medical services. Near the clinic is a church that had been vacated after funding from Europe stopped. The clinic now uses the church to prepare free meals for underprivileged children. On weekdays, three cooks prepare meals that are given to more than 100 children in three locations in Malabon City. The Joseph Clinic launched the feeding project in May 2013, after Choi learned that many children were malnourished. He also initiated a scholarship program to help poor children continue their studies. |
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