Ormoc City, June 25, 2025 – With compassion, precision, and unwavering commitment, the Rotary Club of Ormoc, led by President Atty. Jeremiah Anthony T. Reynaldo, spearheaded a Surgical Assistance Initiative that restored dignity and hope to dialysis patients through the creation of arteriovenous (AV) fistulas.
Held from June 23 to 25, 2025, the mission was part of Rotary International District 3860’s Vocational Training Team (VTT) program and was led by DGND Dr. Edwin M. Valencia, a thoracocardiovascular surgeon. The initiative successfully provided 36 patients—most of whom had long depended on unsafe internal jugular (IJ) catheter access—with new AV fistulas in their arms, significantly improving their quality of life and long-term treatment safety.
The Vocational Training Team (VTT) is a Rotary program that brings professionals together to share expertise, provide hands-on training, and implement sustainable solutions. In this case, the VTT’s objectives extended beyond delivering much-needed surgical services to indigent patients—it also aimed to equip local medical professionals in Ormoc with the skills and knowledge to perform AV fistula procedures independently. Once our local doctors are fully trained and able to handle these surgeries on their own, the potential impact is immense: hundreds, even thousands of lives can be saved in the years to come. What began as a short-term mission paves the way for a self-sustaining, life-saving medical capability in the city.
This procedure is far from routine for many patients. In the Philippines, AV fistula surgery typically costs between PHP30,000.00 to PHP70,000.00 in private hospitals. Even in public hospitals, while the base cost may be lower, additional expenses such as laboratory tests, medications, and post-operative care often make the procedure unaffordable for indigent patients. Through this mission, that financial barrier was fully addressed for all 36 beneficiaries.
The project was funded through the Rotary Club of Ormoc’s “Run to End Polio 2024” fundraiser, held in October 2024, with additional support from The Rotary Foundation (TRF). What began as a campaign to fight polio evolved into a broader health initiative—extending Rotary’s impact beyond prevention into surgical intervention and direct patient care.
The Rotary Club of Ormoc continues to uphold the Rotary spirit of Service Above Self, delivering meaningful, lasting change where it is needed most. This surgical outreach did not just improve lives—it transformed them. (By the EV Mail Editorial Team/Photos Contributed by Rotary Club of Ormoc/ EV Mail June 23-29, 2025 issue)
