…And I’m back!
I am pleased to say that I am a happily married man
now. The picture to the right was taken
on the special day with my beautiful wife and yours truly (not looking too
shabby either). It has been a hectic
past few weeks (wedding planning, honeymoon, and of course the big day), but I
am ready to get back to work!
I arrived in Manila earlier this week and have been
adjusting to the time difference and all of the other things that make the
Philippines unique - familiarizing myself with the rainy season in the Pacific,
waking up over 5-7 times a night due to the humid heat, dealing with hours and
hours of notoriously bad traffic, and of course swatting away a seemingly
endless stream of mosquitoes. However,
if there is one thing that really caught my attention since the first time my
plane descended, it is that Manila is a city of extremes. I have had the privilege of visiting
extravagant hotels, restaurants, and malls that rival the best of those found
in the States. Meanwhile, these
buildings are situated a few hundred yards from extreme poverty, shantytowns
and run-down slums. My wife and I are
lucky enough to be staying at our friend’s beautiful apartment in the heart of
Manila’s financial district; however,
the picture to the left shows a slum right outside our front door…
…This picture is a reminder that while the Philippines has
the resources and wealth to create modern, extravagant buildings and amenities,
a large proportion of its population live right next door in abject
poverty. There are a number of potential
solutions to this problem, and many of them start with better health. Investing in medicines to treat dengue fever
which is endemic in many parts of the Philippines, building better hospitals to
treat not only the rich but the general population, or providing contraceptives
to the poor women who need it the most are all steps in the right
direction. Upon telling my friend’s
mother that I was working on health policy-related work this summer, she gave
me a skeptical look and said, “I don’t believe in birth control just to let you
know.” I’ve discovered that this
sensitive topic has created a dividing line throughout the country (where 90%
of the people are Catholic) to the point where people just don’t want to talk
about it.
I am here because I am hoping to start conversations about
health. I had a kick-off meeting with my
team earlier this week, and I have already started to hit the ground running. I look forward to having conversations with
WHO employees from throughout the Western Pacific region, meeting with folks at
the Philippines Department of Health, consulting experts from various organizations,
and simply learning more about how investment in health technologies can
improve the lives of women and people everywhere. And I look forward to sharing how these
conversations go with you all.
Until next time!
-Sam
P.S. On an unrelated note, I’ve included a link to a Ted
Talk that my good friend, Joseph Kim, spoke at recently. Joseph is a North Korean defector and one of
the most inspiring people I know.
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