JEDDAH, 3 August 2004 — Another Filipino awaiting repatriation at the Philippine Consulate’s Center for Distressed Female OFWs in Jeddah has died of heart attack yesterday, officials said.

Myrna Mercado, a 50-year-old whose right leg had been amputated because of diabetes, died in her sleep at around 4:40 a.m., Welfare Officer Rosauro Octaviano and the consulate’s new doctor said.

Octaviano said he was informed that at around 4:40 a.m., Mercado’s moaning prompting her colleagues to try waking her up but she did not respond.

Sensing that something was wrong, the other stranded workers called the consulate’s newly arrived in-house doctor but it was apparently too late.

After doing a thorough checkup of the patient, Dr. Froilan Obillo declared her dead. “A diabetic patient of this nature is susceptible to cardiac arrest or heart attack at any given time,” said Obillo, who had recently completed his residency in internal medicine at the prestigious Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila.

If it were a consolation, he said, since the patient was sleeping at the time of the cardiac arrest, “she silently died peacefully.”

According to Octaviano, Mercado took refuge at the consulate on June 27 but the absence of any documents on her identity made it difficult to immediately repatriate her to the Philippines.

Mercado was the second to die of the “silent killer” in barely two weeks’ time.

On July 21, Amalia Ramos, a maid who ran away from who was also taking refuge at the consulate, succumbed to heart attack whil awaiting repatriation. She later died at the King Fahd General Hospital. Her remains will be repatriated as soon as the required documents are processed, said Octaviano.

Free Service

Meanwhile, Dr. Obillo urged Filipinos in the Western Region, especially those not covered by health or medical insurance, to come and take advantage of his services.

He said he can see patients at the consulate during office hours (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), although he said he is practically “on call” (available any time) to serve his kababayan in need.

“Tell our kababayan to disseminate the information that you have a doctor in town ready to help,” he told Arab News.

Obillo said he also plans to visit places outside of Jeddah to look into the health problems of those who cannot come to the city.

He can be reached through (02) 660-348 during office hours and through mobile 0509-664-249 after office hours.

A graduate of the University of Santo Tomas in 1991, Obillo also underwent training in dealing with infectious diseases at the PGH, a part of the state-run University of the Philippines.

Medical graduates who undergo residency at the PGH are among the most-sought in the Philippines because of the intensive training they go through. They are also considered to be among the most dedicated in public service, probably because they become sensitized with the huge number of “indigent” or very poor patients they serve.

“Sometimes resident doctors at PGH have to go out of their way to buy medicines for their patients just to keep them alive,” a nurse who has worked at the PGH told Arab News.

Obillo started doing his duties by looking into the health of runaways sheltered at the consulate after reporting for duty to Consul General Pendosina N. Lomondot and Labor Attaché Nasser Munder.

Lessons From First Batch

Obillo belongs to the second batch of doctors and social workers the Philippine government is sending to countries where there are large concentrations of OFWs.

Doctors were also sent to Riyadh, Bahrain, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, as well as to Hong Kong and South Korea.

Social workers will be sent to these areas at a later date, according to consulate officials. In 2002, the government sent doctors and social workers in these places as part of a pilot project to help distressed OFWs and others who need help.

Dr. Obillo said the report submitted by Dr. Ramon Moreno, who was assigned in Jeddah as part of the first batch, may have prodded the government to continue with the project.

This time around, the government embraced the program as its own and called it “Overseas Social Services Package” with funding from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

The pilot program was funded by the “country-side development fund” or pork barrel of Sen. John Osmena, but doctors and social workers were recalled after the fund ran out.

With a medicine fund of $400 a month for every doctor, Obillo hopes to serve more OFWs. The previous doctor in Jeddah had to solicit for medicines from drug companies, clinics and hospitals to be able to dispense medicines to OFW’s needing immediate medical attention.

Obillo’s apprehension, however, is that the program is slated for only one year, a short time frame that hinders the effectiveness of the program.

“By the time you have your program going, it is time for you to go,” Dr. Obillo said. He added that a two-year duration is better suited for this type of program.