DVDW BEGINS COLLABORATION WITH FILIPINO LGBT EUROPE
Healthcare team provides medical assistance and support to Filipino migrants
Our Care Team has recently partnered with Filipino LGBT Europe to help Filipino migrants get the care they need. The foundation distributes food aid vouchers from the Red Cross to vulnerable Filipinos in Amsterdam at the request of the Philippine Embassy. This group of people is difficult for us to reach. They often do not know Doctors of the World and therefore do not know what we can do for them. The collaboration with Filipino LGBT Europe is therefore an excellent opportunity to make contact with them. Friday, February 19, we stood with the Care Bus at the Mozes en Aäronkerk where volunteers from Filipino LGBT Europe handed out the food vouchers.
Many Filipinos in the Netherlands got into trouble in the past year. Before the pandemic they mainly worked in the informal circuit, for example in the household or in the catering industry. They had their lives in pretty good order. When the corona crisis broke out, many lost their jobs. At the same time, access to care for this group deteriorated due to all measures to contain the pandemic. Going to the doctor suddenly became almost impossible.
Extra emergency aid
“We are seeing this group more and more,” says Britt Kos, DvdW’s Health Care employee. “People who, in principle, can manage just fine as long as they have work, who can therefore afford care. But they are now increasingly in the picture because their work is disappearing. ” It was therefore good news that the Postcode Lottery gave us a one-off extra contribution at the end of last year, enabling us to scale up our emergency aid. Such as this extra consultation hour for the Filipinos.
Pregnant woman
Attendance in the Mozes and Aäronkerk was high. The people who came to collect a voucher were invited to meet Doctors of the World and our medical volunteers were there for them. Many Filipinos do not know the Dutch health care system. “Nine out of ten don’t have a doctor, because they don’t know they are entitled to one,” says Britt. “Many of the people our doctors saw turned out to have very high blood pressure. Very worrisome, because with uncontrolled high blood pressure you increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. We also saw a four-month pregnant woman who had not had any check-ups at all, with all the associated risks. There were also quite a few people with stress complaints due to the pandemic. ”
Monthly consultation hour
The first consultation hour was a success and this is just the beginning of this great collaboration. The intention is to hold consultation hours once a month at the same location where Filipino LGBT Europe distributes vouchers.
NOTE: This arcticle was first published in Dutch language on 1 March 2021 via Dokters van de Wereld’s website. You may access the original post via this link: https://doktersvandewereld.org/dvdw-start-samenwerking-met-filipino-lgbt-europe/?fbclid=IwAR35kEVrOXKFGkjcVGXlvM8SJvPqgeck3RA_vOlh6DscCN8efwNGlpfExGI
