Jintotolo, Philippines
In the late 1800s the ownership of Jintotolo Island was ceded to the Municipal President of Pulanduta - the great grandfather of my fiancée.
Today, their family mostly still live on Jintotolo Island.
There is no doctor on Jintotolo and no pharmacy. Many of its residents are unable to get help from medical services on the mainland. There are high levels of undiagnosed unmanaged diabetes and hypertension on the island leading to significant morbidity and mortality. It is my belief that with education and simple medical management I can have an effect on the rates of cardiovascular disease on Jintotolo.
My work
Due to the lack of education, ubiquity of sugary soft drinks, and a genetic predisposition, cardiovascular disease is rife on the island. Using donated glucometers and my own equipment I have found huge numbers of undiagnosed diabetes and high blood pressure.
On the island there is a tiny shop which, through back channels, has access to metformin, amlodipine and losartan. I write “prescriptions” which people can fill very affordably.
If you are interested in learning more please see the social media profiles where I have documented some of what I do. Alternatively, ask me directly, I could talk about Jintotolo all day!
Hiligaynon
Hiligaynon is the little known dialect spoken on the island. I have searched for a Hiligaynon-English dictionary but it is proving hard to come by.
A somewhat similar dialect (called Illonggo) is on google translate! Using this, I made these leaflets which most people can understand. I printed a stack and brought them to the island.
There is a lot of illiteracy on the island but we found most families will have one person who can understand the information.