THE Department of Health-Davao Region brought various medical services to Talaingod to reach out to indigenous peoples living in far-flung sitios.
The Community Outreach and Immersion Activity (COIA) of DOH-Davao served a total of 1,947 residents in Barangays Dagohoy and Palma Gil in the town.
One of these beneficiaries was Datu Iking Taid, 65, who hiked two hours from his home in Kilometer 31, Barangay Dagohoy, to avail of free medical services.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa mga serbisyong dinala rito. Malaking tulong ito, lalo na sa aking mga katribo, dahil nakinabang kami nang hindi na kailangang bumiyahe nang malayo,” Datu Iking said.
(I am grateful for the services brought here. This is a big help for my fellow tribespeople. We do not have to travel far for the medical services.)
The four-day COIA offered different medical services, benefiting IPs in the area.
For Family Medicine, they served 242 patients; 305 for internal medicine; 396 for pediatrics; 74 for dermatology; 100 for ophthalmology; and 89 for Ears, Nose and Throat (ENT).
Also provided were Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB-Gyn) with 112 patients; 212 for dental services; 120 CBC (Complete Blood Count) tests; 379 X-ray examinations; 63 sputum examinations; and 110 surgical procedures.
PhilHealth-Davao, which also joined the activity, tallied 4,000 transactions, including 1,102 First Patient Encounters, membership updating, Yakap Selection, and PhilHealth ID issuances.
The Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) provided 204 services, while the Department of Migrant Workers recorded 37 services.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines provided free haircuts to 178 residents, while the Office for Senior Citizen Affairs provided different services to 349 senior citizens in the area.
The activity was made possible by the partnership of agencies under the Regional Inter-Agency Committee for Indigenous Peoples Health (RIA-CIPH-Davao) led by DOH-Davao.
Providing support to the activity are various offices and agencies, including: Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC), Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) Mindanao, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples-Davao (NCIP-Davao), Philippine Army 60th Infantry Battalion, 10th Infantry Division, Philippine National Police–Provincial Office Davao del Norte, National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC)-Davao, Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC) Davao, Osca-Talaingod, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth)-Davao, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Davao, DMW, Davao Medical School Foundation–Institute on Primary Health Care (DMSF-IPHC).
Also participating was Kalinaw-SEMR (Southeastern Mindanao Region), a peace advocacy organization consisting of former rebels or Friends Rescued (FR).
Through the COIA, the DOH bridged the distance, bringing the much-needed medical services to far-flung communities following the mandate of Universal Health Care.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos has continued to underscore his administration’s focus on providing health services to the countryside. PIA DAVAO WITH REPORTS FROM DOH-DAVAO
