Medical caravans help village folk cope with illnesses

CAPALONGA, Camarines Norte— Farmer Randy Detera, 24, needed to ride a banca for almost two hours just to reach the school for his only son to have a medical checkup.

His son Daryl, 2, has been suffering from “halak” (croup) for a year but he is unable to have a doctor check his son’s condition because they live in San Roque, an island village of this town.

Croup is a disorder of the upper respiratory tract characterized by inflammation of the voice box (larynx) and windpipe (trachea). Its symptoms include cough that sounds like a bark and hoarseness of voice.

When he learned of the medical mission to be held June 10 at the Capalonga Central School here, he said he set off early in the morning with his son, to catch the boat ride to the town proper.

Daryl has been having fever every afternoon for over almost a year and also complained of stomach ache.

“We have been visiting the health center in our village but we are only given vitamins as, most frequently, there is no supply of medicines,” he said.

Emily Esplana, 48, also a resident of San Roque, likewise brought her son Milbert, 5, to the medical mission because he was suffering from stomach ache for a week.

Camarines Norte Vice Gov. Jonah Pedro Pimentel said the service caravan was the provincial government’s way of “bringing the capitol to the people.”

“We acknowledge the fact that it will be difficult for residents of towns such as Capalonga to go all the way to Daet to have medical checkups so we are bringing in the health and medical services of the province to the towns,” said Pimentel.

“In this way, they won’t even have to spend money for fare.”

Dr. Arnulfo Salagostes, provincial health officer, said they have been actively promoting the Anti-Tuberculosis Campaign of the Department of Health in the province.

“We are also implementing programs that seek greater improvement in maternal and child care.”

According to the 2006 community based monitoring system (CBMS) conducted by the provincial government with help from United Nations Development Program, 402 children less than five years old died in the province. The figures are higher in rural areas.

Salagostes said the scarcity in the number of clinics, health centers and hospitals in the province, especially those far from Daet, has been compounded by the shortage of medical equipment in the government hospital in the town.

The provincial health office is trying to address this problem by going on medical caravans to different towns where hundreds of residents come for free medical checkups, and distribution of medicines.