By Sr. Ma. Fe Sobrevega, MMS

Sr. Fe is from New Lucena, Iloilo. She is the youngest of six children. She graduated from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy in 1956. After taking the board exam, she joined the Medical Mission sisters in Philadelphia, U.S.A. She was one of the first Filipinos to join this congregation.

She attended refresher courses at Washington, D.C. before she was sent off to medical missions, Dacca, East Pakistan (which is now Bangladesh) was her first mission. She almost did not make it to her next assignment in South Vietnam because of typhoid fever, in 1972 she went back to the Philippines for a medical check up and was assigned to various mission places in the country: Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Ipil.

Now [at the young age of 63] it is from Kenya that she writes to us and shares one day of her life as pharmacist in the Holy Family (Nangina) Hospital.

Starting the fire to sterilize IV fluids. These stoves save energy form 50% to 75%. It takes 30 minutes to sterilize IV fluids after gauge reaches 15 lb pressure.

Dispensing IV fluids to the operating room attendant

Sr. Fe starting the still (an apparatus used for distillation) for collecting distilled water for making intravenous (IV) fluids.

Just checking the ward’s requests from the main pharmacy.

Applying latex (milk) of Kalachuchi in the patient with extensive herpes zoster.

Dispensing a prescription for a baby. Luckily his mama understands English. Otherwise, Sr. Fe will have to wait for a native of Kenya to pass-by the pharmacy to translate the instructions.

Teaching guava hers sitz bath to a boy who has second degree burn. Medical plants do complement treatment.

Handing IV fluids to a local nurse.