2021 International Healthcare Professional Excellence Award
DR. MILTON BONOAN AMAYUN, M.D., M.P.H
For his remarkable effort to assuage the suffering of the hungry and impoverished, and his untold sacrifice in sharing a common bond of pain and distress with the less fortunate in many parts of the world.
In just a few years of its foundation, the University of the Philippines International Nursing and Healthcare Forum (UPINHF) honored outstanding UP nurses that reached the pinnacle of their careers and contributed substantively and substantially to the nursing profession, their country and to humanity. Significantly this year, UPINHF will, for the first time, be recognizing the other element of the organization’s core—healthcare practice. Like the International Nurse Award, the International Healthcare Professional Excellence Award aims to honor outstanding healthcare professional who have met the steep criteria established by UPINHF, and as one can see these top citations are not automatically bestowed every year—only at a time when there are highly qualified nominees.
This time, UPINHF is privileged to have Dr. Milton Bonoan Amayun, M.D., M.P.H. as the unanimous choice for the 2021 International Healthcare Professional Excellence Award for his remarkable effort to assuage the suffering of the hungry and impoverished, and his untold sacrifice in sharing a common bond of pain and distress with the less fortunate in many parts of the world.
Fluent in many languages and dialects (English, French, Spanish, Thai, Tagalog, Wolof in rural Senegal, Khmer in Cambodia, Ilocano and Visaya in the Philippines) Dr. Milton Amayun visited far flung countries of the world as Director of the International Health Programs for World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization helping children, families and communities.
In North Korea while working at one of the orphanages, weighing and measuring malnourished babies, he saw school children in uniform foraging for food wherever they think they can find some. The image left a haunting imprint in one’s consciousness.
In a refugee camp in Northern Somalia, a baby’s hand dangled from its mother’s birth canal. The women of the neighborhood started the dirge over the death of the mother and her baby. Dr. Milton quickly washed his hands and did a version to allow the baby to come out head first. Both mother and baby survived. Everyone in the camp called Dr. Amayun, “Dr. Abdi Farid,” a “wise doctor.”
In Senegal, he led a vaccination team that went through hundreds of villages so that young children can be protected from vaccine-preventable childhood diseases.
One of his involvement that he felt very rewarding was an invitation from Dr. Natalia Maltseva, a visionary nurse-educator in Russia. He was ask to help and participate in a project aimed at nursing reforms. After many exchange visits and development of textbooks, the project concluded with nurses being recognized as a separate medical profession from the doctors.
Dr. Amayun saw the war-torn capital Grozny in Chechnya, but one of the scary and perilous travels, perhaps the most harrowing experience was his trip to Mali, a country in West Africa. Flying from Los Angeles to Paris, to Bemako, Mali and rerouted to Niamay, Niger’s capital where his destination, Menaka, was close by. His team of British nutritionist, a Malian Nurse (of Bambara Tribe) a development worker and driver (Tuareg), embarked in their Land Rover to one of World Vision’s project compound. At the time, there was this civil unrest in Mali, where the Tuaregs wanted a piece of the desert for their own homeland to the objection of the Bambaras. Traversing through the sand and rocks, the team ran smack into the rebels. They were suspected of being spies. After interrogation, their vehicle and equipment were confiscated leaving them without food, water and means of communication. For days they walked the arid Sahara in scorching heat sheltering only in small shrubs and dead tree trunks. . Despondent and in despair, Milton prayed fervently. With tears in his eyes he beg in supplication:
“Lord I have a young wife and two small sons. Should you think they still need me, please spare my life, however the final decision is yours.”
He repeated the same prayer all night long. Morning came, at 7:00 a.m. a man with two donkeys walked by. Although Milton gave him some money, it was an answered prayer. The man gave them bread he cooked over a bonfire. They didn’t know where the flour and water came from, but hungry and thirsty as they were, everything tasted good. This time they were able to sleep at night because the man watched over them from wild predators. They continued walking to reach their destination until they were rescued by the Malian military. (NOTE: Please read the full narrative published in the IFNAH Journal entitled: “Seven Days in June in the Heart of Sahara,” by Dr. Milton Bonoan Amayun, International Forum for Nursing and Healthcare, Vol. 5, Series of 2021, Page 55—or www.upinhf.org.).
Milton hailed from San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte, Philippines to parent Dr. Dan Amayun and Encarnacion Bonoan. He was a Philippine Science High School scholar, thereafter took the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) and topped the exam with a record 99.97% rating over 20,000 other applicants. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from the UP College of Arts and Sciences. In 1973, he applied and was admitted to the UP College of Medicine again topping 5,000 applicants, and finished his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree in 1977. Going to Harvard as a Kellogg Fellow and scholar, Milton acquired his Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University School of Public Health.
Embarking on a productive career, Dr. Amayun visited 120 countries. He was Sr. Technical Adviser and Program Representative, Global Program on HIV/AIDS, World Vision International, Monrovia, CA, USA; Team leader, Asia Pacific and Middle East/eastern Regions including the Philippines, Romania and Russia; Manager, Research and Information, World Vision, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Healthcare Program Director, Ban Vinai refugee Camp, Pak Chom Loei, Thailand. He was the Civil society delegate to board meetings on Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB, Malaria, in Geneva, Switzerland; Chiang Mai, Thailand; Marrakech, Morocco, including consultancies on Global Fund in Lesotho, Mali, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, and many more.
His extensive worldwide involvement in healthcare was recognized and acknowledge with many awards, among them: Dignity and Right to Health Award, International Christian Medical and Dental Association, London; Gawad Lagablab, Philippine Science High School Alumni Association, distinguished Alumni Award for Social Upliftment (Public Health); Performance Award, USAID, Benin; Amazing Asian Award, Asian Association of Western Michigan, Grand Rapids and many more. Most significant recognition however was when he was called “wise doctor” for saving the lives of mother and child at a refugee camp in Somalia and when many children were named “Milton” in his honor in Senegal. But nothing can be more satisfying, perhaps a joyfully profound reward than seeing Dr. Raija Ebeling-Amayun, his wife, and his two sons Joshua and Jason back home on his return from dangerous and risky travels to hostile places.
The UPINHF Awards and Citation Committee is unanimous in its endorsement of a very qualified recipient and by a unanimous vote the Members of the Board of Directors hereby confirm and confer the first International Healthcare Professional Excellence award to Dr. Milton Bonoan Amayun, M.D., M.P.H., for boundless service to humanity. Congratulations!
A Christian organization working to help communities
lift themselves out of poverty for good, our focus is on helping the most
vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life.
—WORLD VISION INTERNATIONAL
By Nelson C. Borrero