ILOILO – A global health Korean non-government organization (NGO) partner of the provincial government is flying an Ilongga child to South Korea for a free surgical operation.
Five-year-old Zhen Mary Kathleen Deypalubos of Barangay Jardin, Dumangas town was born with a congenital heart defect (Patent Ductus Arteriosus).
She will undergo a free surgical operation sponsored by the Seoul National University Hospital as part of its Overseas Child Support Project. She will be accompanied by her mother Julie and one staff from the provincial government
Medipeace, the NGO, and the Korean Health Industry Development Institute will sponsor their round trip plane ticket, accommodation and meals. Zhen Mary will stay in South Korea for an estimated of one month for her recovery.
The youngest child in the family of two, Zhen Mary is currently enrolled at Talusan Day Care Center in Barangay Talusan. She frequently suffers from cough, fever, and runny nose, according to her mother.
From Feb. 7 to 14, 2018 she underwent a D-echo at the Don Jose Sustiger Monfort Memorial Medical Center in Barotac Nuevo and was diagnosed with a congenital heart disease.
After having been confined for one week, Zhen Mary was referred to a cardiologist at the West Visayas Medical Center. She was admitted at WVMC from March 1 to 7 for further treatment and monitoring where it was recommended that she undergo a heart surgery.
Iloilo Provincial Administrator Raul Banias, a physician by profession, said Deypalubos’ disease affects her growth that is why she appears small for her age.
“Her heart has to pump more compared to its normal function. But this will soon be corrected with the operation,” Banias said.
Her 31-year-old father is a tricycle driver. Her mother, 27, is a househelper. The family’s income could barely cover their basic needs, much more for the medical expenses.
Julie thanked the province and its partner institutions as their interventions will pave the way for Deypalubos to live a normal life.
Medipeace has been a partner of Iloilo Province for six years now. The organization was instrumental in the implementation of the US$7-million Iloilo Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Area (GIDA) Health System project of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
It has donated a total of 12 ambulances to the district hospitals and helped improve the services of rural health units (RHUs) through the donation of various medical equipment.
The organization also sponsored the conduct of life support trainings for health workers in the 12 hospitals managed by the provincial government.
Meanwhile, Seoul National University Hospital is a leading health care facility in Korea. Its services and programs include inpatient, outpatient and emergency care from a comprehensive range of advanced specialty fields
Its International Healthcare Center (IHC), founded on June 1st, 1999, was aimed at increasing convenience and enhancing the efficiency of medical services for international patients. (Capitol News/PN)
