GOs, NGOs set nationwide saturation drive for medical, dental, feeding and information-gathering missions

Manila (2 September) — Two million patients. 100,000 volunteers. 2,000 medical mission sites.

On September 6, 2009, a Sunday, more than 100,000 doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, health workers, medical professionals and concerned Filipino citizens from the government and private sector leave the comforts of their home to perform the biggest act of charity in the country, so far.

These Good Samaritans, in a massive display of collective volunteerism, offer their services for free as partners of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in providing medical and dental services to more than two million Filipinos— all in a single day.

Dubbed as the “100 Percent in One Day” project, the PCSO’s nationwide medical, dental and information- gathering mission aims to cover all of the country’s 41,995 barangays.

“This is a first-of-its-kind project in the Philippines that provides fast access to medical and charity care from PCSO and its partners to poor Filipinos all over the country in one day,” explains PCSO General Manager and Vice Chair Rosario Uriarte.

The project is envisioned to be both a celebration of the 75th Anniversary of PCSO, and a window for marginalized Filipinos from all over the country to access medical care and organized charity assistance.

For the medical and dental missions, the PCSO expects to cover 25,197 barangays in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, representing 60 percent of the total number of barangays in the country.

There are more than 2,000 medical mission sites to be set up all over the country on September 6, each site capable of providing service to 1,000 to 1,500 patients.

A medical mission site is manned by four doctors, two dentists, four nurses and one pharmacist. These health professionals are assisted by 30 to 40 volunteers who are in-charge of physical set-up and security.

Aside from general checkups, minor surgeries like the removal of cataracts and lumps, dental services, eye examinations, bone scan and ear check monitor will be available in selected medical mission sites located in government hospitals and rural clinics.

Medicines to be distributed free to patients at the sites include amoxicillin drops, capsules and suspension; metropolol tablets; mefenamic acid, paracetamol drops and tablets; and ascorbic drops, tablets and syrups.

“PCSO has been doing monthly medical and dental missions for several years now,” says Uriarte. “But this is the first time we’ll hold it in large scale in one day, targeting more than two million patients.”

In Metro Manila alone, more than 150,000 beneficiaries are expected to avail of free medical and dental services offered in some 100 mission sites spread throughout the National Capital Region.

The medical sites in Metro Manila are manned by volunteers from the seven Catholic diocese affiliated with Caritas, which mobilized lay leaders and church workers to assist the health professionals in the medical mission sites.

The information-gathering mission, on the other hand, is expected to cover 100 percent of the 41,995 barangays.

Under this component, barangay health workers and residents are encouraged to send to the PCSO through Short Messaging System (SMS) or text message the name and profile of a patient in their community who intends to seek financial assistance from the charity agency.

This would allow the PCSO to maintain a database of prospective beneficiaries whose cases would have to be evaluated to determine who may qualify for the medical assistance.

The feeding missions would be conducted in selected barangays, mostly in depressed areas, in coordination with church-based groups and civic organizations.

The “One Hundred Percent in One Day” project, according to Uriarte, is envisioned to be an annual activity that will serve as a vehicle for spreading the “charity virus,” and make organized and systematic sharing coupled with volunteerism as a way of life for Filipinos. (PIA)