Leyte NGO brings free medical services to remote Samar villages
Posted by Michille on 28th February 2007
By Neil D. Lopido
Tacloban City (28 February) — True to its mission of assisting the government as its partner in providing free medical services to the poor and vulnerable and promoting a community-based approach to health care, the Leyte Center for Development, Inc. (LCDE) through its Executive Director Jazmin Jerusalem spearheaded a four-day medical, dental and surgical services to at least 1,600 indigent farmers from two barangays and five sitios in Basey, Samar recently.
The empowerment of the poor through the support of private sector led initiatives like LCDE is in the roadmap of the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan of the present administration. MTPDP focused among others improved accessibility and affordability of essential services which include clean water and health care and reducing by half the cost of medicines through measures to facilitate the supply of lower cost medicines.
Director Jerusalem informed the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) that Barangays Mabini and Manilab to include five sitios were provided the needed medical services and were given free medicines to cure ailments such as acute respiratory tract infections, hypertension, diarrhea, ulcers and tuberculosis. Tooth extraction, excision of cysts and circumcision were also realized.
This is the sixth medical mission that LCDE has launched since 2001 wherein some 7,000 indigent barrio folks from at least 67 remote communities have been recipients of free medical and dental services during these missions. Since its establishment in 1988, LCDE has served some 30,000 families from 431 poor communities in 27 municipalities of Samar and Leyte, Jerusalem disclosed.
The LCDE executive director also informed that the activity was co-sponsored by Manila-based NGOs namely the Council for Health and Development and Community Medicine. The medical mission was deemed successful where volunteers worked together with five doctors, two of whom were Belgian nationals who represented an international organization of health professionals, and three dentists.
Local volunteers likewise extended their charitable contribution who came from Leyte Dental Association, MAKAPAWA health program, St. Scholastica’s College of Health Sciences, Holy Infant College – Nursing Department, Basey rural health unit, Benedictine sisters and barangay heath workers, it was learned.
LCDE is a non-government organization assisting natural and man-made disaster-stricken communities in Eastern Visayas. Its programs range from disaster preparedness and mitigation, emergency response, rehabilitation assistance, advocacy and community health. (PIA-8)
PIA!
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