Soulprints - Amyline Quien Ching

Lingkod E.R.: More than Just a Drop in the Ocean

Mother Teresa once said, “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”

Looking at them with their silly grins and rowdy laughs, you would never think they are students buried knee deep in volumes of medical texts and swamped by endless practicals, examinations and hospital duties fit for insomniacs. This goes to show then how appearances could deceive for unbeknownst to many these students live another life- that of a hero.

An Organization Born to Serve
Lingkod ER took root from one fateful hospital incident and flourished from the efforts one special lady, Dr. Luisa Ticzon. It started while Dr. Luisa, then a biology student in UP, was volunteering at the emergency room of UP-PGH. She met a patient who badly needed medical attention but could not avail of the preliminary tests that must be conducted. Unable to ignore such plight, she and the other volunteers chipped in their allowances to pay for the hospital services themselves. The vision of a foundation aimed at helping indigent patients began to take shape. It was not easy but after months of planning and hard work all the pieces finally fell into place. When Dr. Luisa came to UST for her medical education, she set up another chapter and made it Lingkod ER’s headquarters. “All the work of the foundation is based here. Though there are plans to set-up a separate office for the foundation, for now we [the foundation and the UST-chapter] are cozied here together,” mentions Lingkod ER President Marietess Ramos. Over the years, Lingkod ER has managed to set-up three more chapters. Now, patients can avail of their services in UERM, in Quirino Memorial Medical Center and in a hospital in Bacolod.

Living the Double Life
It may not be the slam-bang action that the Jennifer Garner faithful or conspiracy theorists out there might expect but it is no less exciting… or tiring. “I remembered that time when we first volunteered at the emergency room, there was a newborn who developed some problems. We really rushed everything because the baby needed an x-ray right away,” gushes Lingkod ER VP for Hospital Affairs Ma. Blesilda Chan. Sometimes volunteering even manage to eat away their time for sleep. “Some of our members do night shifts. They will wait for patient referrals and process the necessary paperworks,” says Executive VP Marriane Sia. Because referrals do not come every night, these volunteer time doubles as naptime or study time. The interviews themselves, where they would look into the medical history of the patient as well as ascertain their need for monetary help, serve as a learning experience. “There are terms that I am not familiar with but because of my exposure, I remember them easily when I do encounter them in class,” comments VP for Training Ryan Mortel. Though all members, which number more than 150, are encouraged to do this, only those who live in dormitories manage to find the time. Other members settle for daytime schedules especially those who come from the other colleges. All those sleepless nights and sacrificed break times are not for naught. “Since July, we have helped almost 15 patients already. It cost us about P20,000 but it was well worth it,” Marietess reports.

Providing financial support to poverty-stricken patients is no cheap task especially since none of them were born with million-peso spoons in their mouths (neither does organizing seminars and workshops). To fill the perpetually empty coffers, the members must conduct fund-raising campaigns. And mind you, they do it with so much gusto, Rosa Rosal would be green with envy. From holding photo exhibits to selling Christmas lanterns and hanging them up at the UST Main Building, they perfected the art of cooking up schemes to solicit money and pledges. “We even have a gimmick during Valentine’s Day. We sell food packages, which we give to patients. That way, they could help patients and at the same time contribute to the organization,” adds Marietess. Of course, funding the organization does not only rests on their young but capable shoulders. “We also have donors, who continually support us.” Among them are the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), the Rotary Club of Japan and Metro Bank Foundation, to name a few.

Though their main program is to assist patients who need monetary help, their mission does not end there. They also hold ER Awareness Campaigns through photos of patients in emergency rooms. “Not only do patients make do with outdated facilities, some even have to share their bed with another patient,” Marietess reveals. One photo even showed a premature baby placed in a plastic basin and wrapped in plastic wrapper for warmth because of the lack of incubator. This reality is a constant reminder especially during their volunteer assignments, where they would in actuality help out in the emergency rooms, and their medical missions in the provinces. Lingkod ER also conduct emergency training seminars such as Basic Life Support and Basic First Aid. “Last August, we organized a seminar on airway management and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. Hopefully, we could do more of these,” discloses VP for Training Ryan Mortel.

Playing Hero
It is never easy playing the part of heroes but in return, they get the satisfaction of knowing that they have made a difference in someone else’s life. “The best thing in Lingkod ER is the spirit of volunteerism,” says Ryan. Knowing that at the end of the day, you did something significant is more than enough compensation for all the hours spent pouring over paperwork, organizing events and promoting the organization, don’t you think? But before you gag from all those selflessness crap, it’s not pure sacrifice. “Being medical students, we naturally learn more. We remember the diagnosis, symptoms and the pharmaceuticals easily. Na-rereview kami,” shares VP for Public Affairs Charisse Austria. In addition, they learn the ins and outs of hospital. “We already know what to expect because we are familiar with the system. We also get to interact with doctors, nurses and hospital personnel all the time,” indicates VP for Marketing Goldwin Posadas. “Of course being interviewed by newspapers is another plus!” he quips. [hehehe! This author promises to plaster your face all over the page.]

Maybe for the rest of the world, what Lingkod ER is doing might just be a drop in the ocean but for those patients whom they have helped, whose lives they have touched, it might as well be the world.

posted by Amyline Quien Ching @ 11:28 PM