Soon after the death of Dr. Simona C. Alikpala on May 11, 2007, a fund was started for a professorial chair in Pediatrics in her honor at the UERMMMC-MAAA, Inc. The goal set for this fund was $50,000. Through the years, over $15,000 was raised from family, friends and former pediatric residents at UERMMMC.
During the 2013 Medical Alumni Homecoming in Manila and after a meeting with the Department Chair, Dr. Milagros Bautista, and the pediatric staff, a decision was made to put the funds to better use. The NICU lacked the basic equipment, which was partially responsible for the low census. The Dean of the Medical school, Dr. Alfaretta T. Reyes, and the Treasurer of the UERMMMC-AFUSA, Dr. Elmer Gilo, were informed of this plan.
An official proposal was made for the purchase of equipment through the Breath of Life Program of the East Meets West Foundation based in Northern California, with an established record of addressing infant mortality in Asia. It provides locally engineered , low-cost equipment, designed and manufactured by its partner in Vietnam, MTTS Delta. It also provides staff training, maintenance and continued monitoring of the use of these equipments.
The equipments requested by the new Pediatric Chair, Dr. Jose Salazar, to be provided by the renamed Simona C. Alikpala, M.D. Memorial Fund were:
A presentation of this plan was made to the AFUSA, Inc, at the July, 2014 UERMMMC- MAAA, Annual Reunion in Las Vegas.
The MOU and Deed of Donation and Acceptance from UERMMMC, Inc. were signed by Dr. Romeo A. Divinagracia, President of UERMMMC, and the Country Director of East Meets West Foundation, Iris Gokeelao; in the presence of Dr. Alfaretta T. Reyes, Dean of the College of Medicine, and of Dr. Jose B. Salazar, Chief of Pediatrics on December 23, 2014.
The medical equiments were installed on March 27, 2015.
Agnes Y. Alikpala, M.D.
Class 1967
June 15, 2015
