In a continuing effort to provide free and quality healthcare services to Manileños, Mayor Joseph Estrada has launched a comprehensive medical outreach program starting in the depressed communities of Tondo.
This program, Estrada said, will benefit the 216,000 residents of District 2, the pilot site of the “Erap, Mahal ang Mahirap” medical-dental mission that started on October 27 and will continue up to April 2018.
“As the city mayor, it is my commitment to provide you with all the services you deserve to have without spending a single centavo,” Estrada told Tondo residents during the program ‘s launch at the District 2 headquarters of the Manila Health Department.
Addressing the officers and staff of MHD-District 2, Estrada said: “I want to assure you that you have my all-out support and I will do everything in my power to help you achieve your goals for the benefit of our people.”
Per District Health Officer Dr. Aileen Lacsamana, the medical program will be held every second and fourth Fridays of the month continuously for six months.
Free healthcare services include medical and dental consultations, procedures, and treatment; pre-natal checkup, immunization for children and adults, family planning, TB program, lying-in services, and anti-rabies vaccination for pet dogs and cats. Medicines will also be distributed for free.
There are also free haircuts, reflexology treatments, and application and processing of senior citizen and PWD identification cards, and birth and death certificates, Lacsamana added.
The six-month outreach activity, Lacsamana said, is exclusive for residents of District 2, which is composed of 122 barangays and 12 zones of Gagalangin, Tondo. It has a population of 216,159.
Of the 122 barangays, 36 are considered depressed areas, which are the primary focus of the program, Lacsamana stressed. Some 86,294 underprivileged residents live here.
“We have eight health centers in District 2 but the number of residents who go there for medical assistance is rather low, that’s why we created a program that takes healthcare services to the barangays. That way, we’re more efficient in our delivery of services,” Lacsamana explained.
Aside from providing free healthcare services, she said the “Erap, Mahal ang Mahirap” is a platform for city health officials to conduct the health information campaign to the barangays. This would increase the residents’ awareness in preventive healthcare, proper nutrition, personal hygiene and healthy lifestyle.
The program is also supported by the Manila Department of Social Services, Manila Barangay Bureau, Veterinary Inspection Board, District 2 City Councilors League, and Office of the City Engineer.