MAYOR Roberto Salinas and local government officials join the Immaculate Concepcion Parish in hailing Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko Foundation Inc. (Kapwa) and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) for bringing to the interior town free medical and dental mission team.
Still struggling to elevate economic conditions of its people and at least raise health services, local officials have said they cant afford a medical mission now that the town is judiciously apportioning its resources for other equally prioritized need.
The Kapwa free medical mission filled it all, Mayor Salinas was quick to point out.
“It is with highest gratitude that we would like to relay our gratitude to the volunteers and the foundation for considering our town as a beneficiary,” Salinas said in an interview.
Three days before the free mission, the town witnessed two key health service infrastructure facility opening ceremonies.
The affairs were blessing and capsule laying of the proposed municipal health center/ lying-in clinic and waterworks system in barangay Rizal. Both were envisioned to get the town closer to its dream of upgrading its health services.
But even before the town folks could benefit from the activities, the medical mission team and volunteers put up the salvo and dispensed different services to 1,014 indigent residents.
About 411 persons had medical check ups, 38 had surgical operations, 167 for either dental extractions or check ups, 251 had optical services while a87 had blood typing and diagnostic services, an after event report said.
Catigbian Medical Mission is the Foundation’s 6th mission in Bohol since the past years, sources said.
According to the mayor, Kapwa services ranged from medical check ups, circumcision and excision, dental check up and extraction, optical services from refraction to handling out eyeglasses and blood typing and diagnostics.
That day, hundreds of people with ages ranging from infants to the aged milled around Immaculate Mary Academy between 8-3 pm to avail of the free services, Salinas reported.
Kapwa and PCSO teamed up with the local government to put up 43 volunteers, brought in medicines prepared the place and made the day for the town’s health service-deprived.
Kapwa officer Christine Escolano told Immaculate Mary Parish Priest Rev Fr. Joselito Masula that the medical and dental mission attained a 1:24 ratio, in a letter the following day.
Through education and health care, Kapwa has also helped in raising the country’s quality of life while instilling in the minds of the destitute the nobility of human life, their website declares.
Established in 1975 to care for the indigent patients, Kapwa has grown to embrace advocacy for the poor and its mission to help children afflicted with various kinds of diseases, as what the Catigbian medical mission showed. (rachiu/PIA)
THEY CAME IN DROVES. Indigent patients from Catigbian only had umbrellas to protect them from the blazing sun, but this did not sear their enthusiasm to take the queue to avail of free medical and dental services as local officials brought in Kapwa ko Mahal Ko and PCSO. (PIA)
MEDICAL CHECK. Hundreds of indigents lined up for free services during the recent medical, dental and optical mission by Cebu's Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko Foundation in Catigbian. (PIA)
