As part of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s efforts to make health care services available to all Filipinos, a team from his office on Friday extended help to more than a hundred pregnant women and indigent patients in Benguet who are suffering from chronic illnesses.
Cayetano’s team visited Benguet General Hospital (BGH) on March 3, 2023 to help selected Bengueteños cover their medical expenses such as hospital bills, laboratory fees, medical procedures fees, and medicine costs.
The indigent patients, who came from various parts of Benguet like La Trinidad, Atok, Bakun, and Tuba, are in need of continuous medical attention for their hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes.
Employees of BGH who are taking maintenance medicine also received assistance from Cayetano’s office.
One of the recipients was Jesus Fernandez, a massage therapist in La Trinidad who suffers from hypertension.
As a father of three students, he said it is difficult for him to afford continuous medication.
“‘Yung pagme-maintenance ko po, ilang taong tinigil ko po. Nag-maintenance lang po ulit kasi ni-require na po [ng doktor ko],” Fernandez told the team.
“Napakahirap po kasi kapag nagkasakit tayong mga ama, syempre matitigil po y’ung trabaho, walang maibibigay na pambaon [sa eskwela], at wala akong maipapakain sa pamilya,” he added.
Fernandez thanked Cayetano for the medical assistance he received and said he is hoping for the continuous operation of the senator’s program.
“Napakagaan po sa pakiramdam. Imbes na iisipin talaga namin ‘yung gastusin, ngayon nandyan po si Senator Alan Cayetano… Sana po patuloy niyo pong ipagpatuloy na tulungan ang kapos-palad na tulad namin,” he said.
Providing medical assistance to needy Filipinos across the country is one of Cayetano’s long-standing flagship programs.
Along with his personal initiatives, the Senator filed Senate Bill No. 303 in July last year with the aim of providing a health center in every barangay all over the country so that all Filipinos would be able to access quality primary health care for free.
