The Kapehan Seventh-day Adventist Church, in collaboration with Gilead Cares, a group of medical professionals and volunteers dedicated to missionary and charitable work, successfully hosted a free medical mission on July 5, 2027.
Held at Comon Basketball Court in the remote barangay of Cogon, Naga, Cebu, the initiative accommodated 262 clients, providing a range of essential health services.
Over 50 Gilead Cares volunteers came together to join the mission, spending the weekend serving people in need of medical care at no cost.
Gilead Cares, whose objective is to provide exceptional medical services infused with compassion, offered various free services during the mission.
These services included dental extraction and cleaning, optical services, general medical consultations, pediatric consultations, circumcision, massage therapy, random blood sugar testing, blood typing, and vital signs checking.
The group’s commitment is to empower individuals on their health journey, promote well-being, and build a community where every person is seen, heard, and cared for with dignity, aligning with their mission to be an active part in achieving progressive healing from a Biblical perspective of a healthier being.
Dr. Cleo Anna Marie Dy-Pasco, a pediatric intensivist and pediatric infectious disease specialist, shared why she regularly participates in free medical missions such as this one. A physician balancing her hectic schedule as a doctor with her responsibilities as a wife and mother supposedly finds weekends to be her ideal family time. Yet, as much as possible, she chooses never to miss any opportunity to offer free services.
“Extending free medical care to people in need gives me joy. And being with these fellow medical volunteers who share the same passion with me is fun and inspiring,” Dy said.
One medical care recipient who came for a check-up expressed his happiness about the mission. “I had been experiencing haziness in my vision for a long time, but since money is tight, I never had the opportunity to see a doctor.”
His testimony reflected similar sentiments regarding limited access to proper medical care due to financial obstacles.
“This is already our chance for a free check-up and medicine. Although it’s far from our home, I make sure to be here,” another district resident said.
The joy and happiness are felt not only by the care recipients, but also by all the volunteers. While there are new ones, the majority have been with the group for several years already.
In an interview, Ai John Mahilum, one of the pioneer volunteers, shared why he joins medical missions. ” I want to serve ‒ to support the ministry. And it’s inspiring to do missionary works with like-minded individuals.”
This medical mission precedes an evangelistic seminar scheduled to take place from July 7, 2025, to July 18, 2025. The seminar will be conducted by Gilberto Segismar, a gospel worker assigned to Pook, Dumlog, Biasong, under the Talisay District.
When asked why Comon, Cogon was their choice for the free medical mission and evangelistic seminar, Segismar said, “This is an unentered territory. I know it very well because this is my homeplace.”