Medical Mission: Operation Tuli

Outside the Philippines, circumcision is done during infancy. They say it has the benefit of preventing urinary tract infection as the child grows older. Here in the Philippines, it is usually done during the summer vacation when children are mostly at home and having great time going to beaches with family and friends.A boy who has to undergo circumcision must be screened first by the doctor to see whether the prepuce has already separated from the penis. If so, he is then scheduled for the procedure. In private clinics, the price for circumcision range from 300 to 800 pesos depending on the expertise of the physician.After the procedure the child is prescribed an antibiotic and analgesic to be taken for several days and advised to watch out for bleeding. Ideally there should not be bleeding after the procedure.

In the photo is my husband, Dr. Randy, performing circumcision. This is a medical mission conducted by our municipal mayor, Hon. Mojamito Libunao, aiming to circumcise all eligible boys living in San Fabian, Pangasinan. The project started April 29, 2006 and it is being done every Saturday. This is the third Saturday, May 13, and there are around 500 boys who were circumcised since the start of this mission. Quite a number huh!