Department of Surgery
College of Medicine and Philippine General Hospital
University of the Philippines Manila
16 February 2004
REYNALDO O. JOSON, MD
Division of
GS-Surgical Oncology
Department of Surgery
Dear Doctor Joson:
The Executive
Committee of the Department has discussed your letter regarding the
department’s stand on circumcision.
Rest assured that the Department of Surgery has not and will never
conduct an “Operation Tule” surgical mission on an official capacity. We fully agree that this will entail
unnecessary drain on hospital manpower and resources. However, it was deemed that the Department need not come up with a
policy statement declaring routine circumcision as a non-necessity based on
medical grounds. We believe that
certain cultural practices are deeply rooted in society and that these will
have to be given due consideration.
Thank you very much
for your well meaning letter.
Yours truly,
JOSEFINA R. ALMONTE,
MD
Chair
February
9, 2004
Josefina
Almonte, MD, MHPEd
Chairperson
Department
of Surgery
UPCM-
Philippine General Hospital
Through:
Arturo S. de la Pena, MD
Assistant Chair for Service
Department of Surgery
I
am writing you in my capacity as a member of the staff of the Department of
Surgery of the Philippine General Hospital concerned with the issue of
unnecessary routine circumcision and Operation Tule.
Scientific
evidences have strongly shown the non-necessity of routine circumcision in the
newborns and adolescents based on medical grounds. The American Academy of Pediatrics in 1999 has issued statements
to this effect. So have the Philippine
College of Surgeons in 2002 through three prominent urologists and the
Philippine Society of Pediatric Surgeons in 2003.
The
season of “Operation Tule” is around
the corner and this year, it coincides with the campaign period of the
forthcoming national elections. I am
sure the Department of Surgery and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH)
administration will be swarmed with requests to conduct “Operation Tule.”
Last
year, through the initiation of Dr. de la Pena, a proposal to hold “Operation
Tule” by the surgical residents was turned down. This move definitely saved the Department and PGH thousands of
pesos which were channeled to other more worthwhile missions. I commend Dr. de la Pena for this wise and
non-maleficent move.
This year, may
I suggest that the Department of Surgery issue public statements that routine
circumcision is medically NOT necessary and for this reason, the Department and
PGH for that matter, will NOT conduct Operation Tule anymore!
Such
statements will facilitate, not only by PGH administration but also by the Department, the turning down of requests of politicians for “Operation Tule”.
With
PGH and the Department of Surgery being look at as a leader in health care and
advocacy, these public statements will have benefits extended to all other
government hospitals in the country that will be faced with the same dilemma on
how to turn down requests for unnecessary “Operation Tule” by politicians. Of course, the most important impact of the
public statements is PGH and its
Department of Surgery saving millions of Filipino children from the pain of
unnecessary routine circumcision.
Hoping
for a favorable response, in the name of the vision-mission of the Department
of Surgery, UPCM, PGH, and UP Manila, I remain
Respectfully
yours,
Reynaldo
O. Joson, MD, MHA, MHPEd, MSc Surgery
Associate
Professor
cc:
Dr. Carmelo Alfiler, Director, Philippine
General Hospital
Dr. Mario Festin, Assistant Director
for Health Operations, Philippine General Hospital