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Kapihan Series: Anecdotes on Public Healthcare
Kapihan Series: Anecdotes on Public Healthcare
Written by Raven Khate N Villaluna
Community Development and Research Society (ComDRS) is a non-profit, independent, and community-oriented organization of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila College of Medicine (PLMCM) which aims to develop globally-competent, locally-oriented, and culturally-sensitive medical students who can become pioneers and role models in the health profession. It represents PLMCM in the Asian Medical Students' Association - Philippines (AMSA-Philippines) network, as well as in its international affiliations – AMSA-International (AMSA-I) and International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA). One of the goals of ComDRS is to initiate, organize, and support meaningful projects and programs that aim to address relevant issues affecting health, medical practice, and the healthcare system in the City of Manila, the Philippines, and across the globe.
During the PLMCM Medicine Week on September 19, 2024, ComDRS launched the first leg of one of its flagship projects for this academic year (AY), the “Kapihan Series.” “Kapihan,” a continuous activity of ComDRS since 2014, aims to open an avenue to discuss various issues concerning healthcare and even societal issues. “Kapihan: Anecdotes on Public Healthcare” is a seminar forum proposed to raise awareness about Dr. Rosita G. Leong (RGL) Hub’s DaMDamin program, share the participants' experiences, and emphasize the importance of public health.
The seminar/ forum was spearheaded by the ComDRS Standing Committee on Human Rights and Peace (SCORP) Head and DaMDamin 2024 Graduate, Del Mardyn Cabrera (Year Level 2). It is one of the first projects of ComDRS that hopes to spark up interest in the students in primary and community healthcare, aligned to its thrust for the AY 2024-2025 which is to uphold the importance of public health through initiating various activities including community immersion activities, discussions, and campaigns, led by its President, Raven Khate Villaluna (Year Level 3).
The event featured the PLM DaMDamin 2024 graduates namely Del Mardyn “Dyn” Cabrera, Jasmine Queeneth Tarroza (Year Level 2), Alessandra Justin “AJ” Chua (Year Level 3), and John Kenneth Tria (Year Level 3). The delegates discussed their ideas on Universal Healthcare including the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Building Blocks. They shared their personal experiences and lessons learned during the 10-day immersion in the different municipalities in Northern Samar.
Dyn Cabrera, the only then-Year Level 1 delegate in the program shared his journey stating how the idea of immersing himself in the field knowing only the basic principles of Anatomy and Physiology felt scary to him. He then ended on a positive note saying “Do it scared,” and “have faith,” because it is the only way that we can learn.
AJ Chua stated her aspiration of serving a rural community in the future, far from her background of being born and raised in urban Manila, and expressed how the program made her appreciate even more the compassion in medicine and the importance of health equity. Kenneth Tria expressed his sentiments in not giving up on people and always being patient with patients because we never know what our patients are going through, apart from their medical concerns. Lastly, Jashmin Tarroza expressed her journey in a quote, “There’s a blessing in silence,” realizing that divine providence is always with her even in times of fear during the immersion.
The delegates concluded their portion with the quote, “Nasa paglubog ang tunay na pagkatuto,” emphasizing that health should always be for all and the public masses.
Moreover, Dr Karen Aisa Monje, Chief of the Dr Gregorio B (GB) Tan from Laoang, and a distinguished PLMCM Alumni Batch 2007 also shared her journey that drove her decision to become a Doctor to the Barrio and eventually becoming a rural health physician in Northern Samar. She recounted her stories of being a medical student in PLM, the vast experiences that she had encountered in being a rural health doctor, such as the challenges of being the only doctor in GB Tan Hospital, the politics that she had to go through to provide accessible health services to the community, and also the feeling of fulfillment that she got from this role and responsibility.
In fruition of her efforts, Dr Monje shared photos of the current developments of the GB Tan hospital such as the construction of the operating room complex, development of the submersible water system, and renovation of the dietary area. She told the students that the journey in community health is not a smooth sailing journey but is always worth it. She expressed that she sees the future of public health as bright, and encouraged students to go into the field because “there’s so much work to do.”
Dr Karen Aisa Monje, Chief of the Dr Gregorio B (GB) Tan from Laoang
Dr Rafael "Papap" Garcia of RGL Hub
Furthermore, speakers of the Kapihan include the RGL Hub DaMDamin Project Heads, Dr Rafael “Papap” Garcia, and Dr Alberto Teodoro “TJ” Malvar who shared their insights on the DaMDamin program, its mission and vision, as well as their plans.
In the talk, they shared the Theory of Change which includes “Alamin, Damdamin, Kumilos, at Tumaya,” which explains that a call for change is a process. Dr. Garcia emphasized that the program is directed toward “damdamin,” because not every aspect of medicine can be learned inside the classrooms but can only be experienced in real-life community immersion.
They highlighted the importance of immersing, developing, training, and inspiring future doctors passionate about public health and community medicine. “There is a hunger for these kinds of experiences,” said Dr. Garcia. He added that the project has been receiving positive feedback from students, medical doctors, and partner Local Government Units, thus they are planning to upscale the program by developing more partnerships and building more sets of cohorts of delegates in the future.
Personal advice to medical students were also given by the speakers in the Q-and-A portion of the program. Dr. Garcia stated to just love what you do and to figure out what keeps you going. Dr. Malvar stated that as medical students, time is the best investment so value everything you do. Finally, Dr Monje shared her simple yet profound message: “just show up.”
Their insights, along with the shared experiences of the students, underscored a critical theme: that real learning often begins outside the classroom—through immersion, action, and a commitment to serve. The stories of perseverance, compassion, and resilience made it clear that while the road to strengthening public health is challenging, it is also deeply rewarding.
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