Philippines doctors without borders

Sans her doctor's white coat, Dr. Natasha Reyes of Bacolod City stands up to her conviction of providing lifesaving care to the world's most neglected people.

"One thing I gave up is the usual image of my profession - that the idea of being a doctor is wearing a white, clean coat; everyone is calling you 'doc'; you have your own clinic, a secretary and you play golf," says 35-year-old Natasha, a doctor with the international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

Also known as Doctors Without Borders, MSF is present in more than 70 countries, mostly those affected by armed conflict, epidemics or natural disasters.

Natasha, called Tasha by friends, is a psychology graduate of University of the Philippines (UP), and completed her medical studies in the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) in 2000. She specialised in emergency medicine, which she describes as "a little bit of everything-a bit of surgery, a bit of pediatrics, a bit of internal medicine."

She says she initially joined MSF in 2007 out of curiosity. But it has turned out to be a career and a fervent passion. So far, she has completed missions in India, Kenya, South Sudan and Colombia. She has braved conditions in some of the world's most dangerous places-Libya, Afghanistan, Pakistan. She was back in the Philippines in 2009 to lend a hand in the aftermath of devastating Tropical Storm "Ondoy." And the list goes on.

"I feel instant gratification when I see patients improve in a short duration of time. I like seeing immediate results," she says.

On the emergency nature of the work, she adds: "I like the action. I like the rush. I also like to think that wherever I am sent, I can do something for the patient."

The road less travelled

Even as a little girl, Tasha dreamed of becoming a doctor. She was eight when her family moved to Metro Manila, which allowed her a choice of some of the country's best medical schools and hospitals. After graduation from UP and UST, she completed her four-year training at Makati Medical Center in 2006.

She was at a crossroad when she received word that her application to work as a doctor in Australia had been approved. This was about the same time she was invited to join MSF.

"Everyone I knew was sending their applications to work in Australia or other countries. So, I had applied too. However, I also really wanted to work with MSF. I knew about the organisation a long time ago. In my early teens, I read about its mental health activities in Russia. I was also aware that they were in Samar in the late '90s, and also present in Manila. Their principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence really appealed to me. It was always at the back of my mind that someday I would work with MSF in the Philippines."

"When I was ready to join MSF, they had already left the country. But I met a colleague who had just finished his deployment with MSF in Kashmir. He encouraged me to try working with MSF outside the Philippines."

Weighing her options, Tasha chose the road less travelled.