In its ongoing medical mission in Philippines, the Sathya Sai International Organisation arranged for a team of 15 medical, paramedical and non-medical volunteers from the USA and UK to work with 11 local volunteers in Tacloban in April, 2014. The medical team included paediatricians, pain management specialist, psychiatrist, general practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, and psychologists.
Ten camps were set up during a span of six days and 2,874 patients were examined. On some days, two camps were organised at different locations – one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
A team of psychologists successfully administered a Stress Alleviation Intervention (S.A.I.) training program to help patients with hypertension reduce stress. The S.A.I. protocol was provided along with advice about the need to exercise regularly and to decrease the use of salty foods. During the course of the camps, 115 patients were given stress reduction techniques individually or in small groups at a time. Local teachers and Barangay leaders were also trained as instructors of the S.A.I protocol. An additional 234 individuals in larger groups were given the S.A.I. training by three Sathya Sai Young Adult volunteers and three interpreters, under the supervision of the psychologists.
Four water samples were taken from different sources of water in the Sai House and other places, and were tested for safety.
It was inspiring to see volunteers from different countries, cultures and faiths, working together under challenging conditions without complaints. One local woman came up to the group and said, “Thank you for visiting our country”, to sum up the sentiments of the local population, long after the aftermath of the hurricane.