PHOTOS FROM FEBRUARY 2023 VIETNAM TRIP
2020 Mission Trip
I feel truly blessed that at this stage of my life, after 30 plus years in medicine I have the pleasure to give back to the truly poor people around the globe. Most of my mission trips to date have been in south Asia mostly in the Philippines. The group I belong to is out of Chicago and we have typically serviced the people to the north of Manila in what is called the “rice belt”, so as you can imagine they are mostly poor farmers that work the beautifully terraced field in the province of Nueva Vizcaya. This province is 7-8 hours north of the capital Manila. Our mission group offers medical services to deal with acute and chronic conditions, as well as dental services, eye exam services and at times surgical services. South Asia is in my opinion the most beautiful place on earth of course not without its problems (poverty and now Corona Virus). Enjoy some of the many photos of my medical mission and my side trip to Indonesia.
– Jack Bertolino
Photos from January 2019 Philippines Trip
Medical Mission to Nueva Viscaya – February 2017
The medical mission was to Nueva Viscaya north of Manila in the ricebelt of the Philippines. This is an areas where people rarely if ever see a health care professional. They are usually farmers or laborers that are poor and uneducated, with very little given to them by their government. Complaint range from simple coughs and colds to diabetes, hypertension, stroke, rashes, coronary disease to musculoskeletal problems. Not everything can be treated, but SOME CARE IS BETTER THAN NO CARE AT ALL.
We were 7 medical doctors, 1 surgeon for outpatient minor cases, and 2 dentists. We collectively saw 2800 patients in 2 days (1000 day 1, 1800 day 2) before moving on. The local governments were gracious and accommodating. There was no pressure on us, just the joy of seeing people that could accept whatever they could get. It was truly a humanitarian cause with only good intentions. I hope to keep this up through my career and through my life both in Asia as well as South America and maybe one day on the African continent.
Dr. Bertolino’s 2016 Medical Mission – Phillipines
Dr. Bertolino recently completed another mission trip to a foreign country using his skills as a physician to improve the lives of many individuals in the Phillippines that don’t have access to medical care. The details of his incredible trip are below…
Organization: Global Medical Foundation. Established 1998.
Goals: To Provide Medical and Surgical Care to the Poor Communities Around the Globe
Date: January 2016
Location: Province of Nueva, Vizcaya
- Bambang
- Bayombong
- Bagabag
- Dupax Del Sur
Mission: Dr. Bertolino and other volunteer medical doctors provided medical and dental services to many people in the Province of Nueva, Vizcaya. These people don’t have access to medical or dental care normally and they also don’t have the ability to afford healthcare. Dr. Bertolino and the other doctors each saw 150 – 200 patients a day at four different sites in the region. Their days were very long and sometimes they were under challenging conditions. Upon completion of their work, the doctors received certificates of appreciation from the governor of the region.
More on the Global Medical Foundation
The Board of Directors for the Global Medical Foundation assess the specific needs of a country or community and recruit healthcare professionals and other volunteers accordingly.
This international foundation has established a relationship with the American College of Surgeons to ensure participation of highly qualified healthcare professionals. They also have relationships with charitable organizations such as Kids Against Hunger, Operating Giving back, Globus Relief and many more organizations based in the US and abroad.
