Residents from Makati Medical Center’s Department of Ophthalmology gave free eye surgeries to inmates of the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City
Makati Medical Center’s Department of Ophthalmology gave free eye surgeries to inmates of the New Bilibid Prisons of the Bureau of Corrections in Muntinlupa City.
According to department chairman Benjamin Abela, MD, the medical missions in the country’s maximum security compound began in 2010, when he began coordinating annual cataract surgery missions with local charity organization Ephpheta Foundation for the Blind. For the past two years, Dr. Abela has taken MakatiMed’s Ophthalmology residents inside the facility to carry out pterygium and squint muscle surgeries on inmates.
Pterygium more common in people who have a lot of exposure to sunlight and wind, is characterized by a non-cancerous growth that covers the white portion of the eye (sclera) and extends onto the cornea, causing irritation and vision problems.
Squint muscle surgeries are carried out to improve the alignment and appearance of the eyes.
In the latest mission led by Dr. Abela with Ophthalmology residents, Drs. Pearl Padilla, Manuel Benjamin Ibanez, Mario Sasongko, Joel Perez, Neil Onghanseng, and Ricky Ong, MakatiMed carried out around 30 pterygium excisions and three squint surgeries with no complications.
Dr. Abela said the missions helped expose residents to certain procedures that are not so common in MakatiMed’s Health Services Program, while also helping inmates in need of medical attention.
In 2010, after raising a million pesos with the help of the Jose Rizal Foundation, which was led by MakatiMed Ophthalmologist Leonardo Mangubat, MD, Dr. Abela built an eye clinic at the Bureau of Corrections Infirmary and donated all the equipment to the Infirmary. Since then, Dr. Abela has held pro-bono consultations and services in this eye clinic to help Bilibid inmates.
The next scheduled surgical mission is in July 2015.