Stranded in Kabankalan

I was supposed to be back in my office in Candoni but the patient we referred to KDH due to Premature rupture of membranes had to be transported to Bacolod. KDH has no working OB-GYNE residents or consultants which means all OB-GYNE cases have to be referred to CLMMRH. And since KDH ambulance is expensive (800 pesos)and ours in Candoni is free (imagine that!), Candonians prefer using our own ambulance than Kabankalan's. So, while I was having my lunch in one of the malls in Kabankalan (there are only 2 actually and the other one isn't exactly a mall), our ambu driver texted me that he had to rush to Bacolod. So I am once again stranded here in Kabankalan. As of this time, the ambu is on its way here. So, the question now is, what to do in this sleepy city of Kabankalan?

I took the opportunity to had our video of the Closing Ceremonies transfered to DVD so I went to a shop which caters to Wedding Videos and Photography and inquired how much would it cost me to have it done, and how long? The guys told me I had to shell out 500 and I can get it in 2 hours. That was quick! I don't know how much it actually costs in Bacolod but I had to have it transfered by this weekend. Besides, the money to be spent will be from my own pockets.

So, while waiting for my dvd, I went to the nearest internet cafe and started surfing. I had to update my friendster, myspace, blog (of course), check emails, respond to emails, check the news (I haven't heard much news since Monday of this week. My TV went bonkers since last week.), and surf around the net.

After an hour and a half, I went back to the mall, went around, went back to the video shop, took my DVD version of the Closing Ceremonies of the Heart Month, went to a fastfood chain to have my afternoon snacks, bought some newspapers from a nearby store and decided to go into another internet cafe and wait for my driver here. I think he is now somewhere in Binalbagan. A town just before Himamaylan which is next to Kabankalan and Sipalay.

Tomorrow, I am expecting friends to visit me in Candoni: Dr. Japitana and Dra. Tipagad. We are supposed to conduct a medical mission sponsored by a Mining Company based in Sipalay but the Senior officers of the company went to visit me yesterday and told me that they could not make it tomorrow due to some conflicts in schedule. So, we had to postpone it...again! It was originally slated for March 4, but the Mining Company asked for more time. I suggested March 7 and I was told last Tuesday that it was final, only to find out that we won't proceed tomorrow. Nevertheless, I invited these two friends of mine who are actually planning to become DOCTORS TO THE BARRIOS themselves! "Damo na kami"

I had my midwife in Brgy. Gatuslao prepare us some linupak tomorrow. If the weather is fine I will bring them to the Twin Caves where we can do some spelunking. I do hope they can come. I am supposed to go with them to Candoni tomorrow morning from Bacolod but I have to attend this important meeting with the Mayor and some PHILHEALTH officials tomorrow morning.

Life is picking up a pace in Candoni although the climate is turning chilly. Politically, the atmosphere is heating up a bit. I did blog about it sometime last week, the fact that the Mayor had to slash some job orders and volunteers in the municipality. The idea was that each department, including health, must have only 1 job order at least for now. I was able to negotiate for our department. I asked that all my job orders be retained and will do shifting duties instead. Which means, their stipend per month will be reduced to half since half of the month they will be volunteer status (which means they won't be receiving any compensation). So, it was that or they will all but one be slashed.

So, while other departments are only having one job order each, the health still has its entire staff intact, job orders and all.

Looks like my ambu driver is running a little late, and I am running out of words to write. The picture I posted along with this blog is actually a long-lost picture of Hellen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan. These two are one of those people I truly admire. They stand for pure passion, dedication, and strong-willed motivation to go against the odds. This picture was recently discovered and "experts on Keller's life believe it could be the earliest photo of the two women together and the only one showing the blind and deaf child with a doll -- the first word Keller spelled for Sullivan after they met in 1887 -- according to the New England Historic Genealogical Society, which now has the photo."(AP)