High schoolers pitch support for free dialysis
THE ON-GOING campaign for free dialysis continues to draw support from the various sectors with now over 32,000 signatures submitted for collation and submission later to concerned national government offices.
More than 203 students and employees of the University of Baguio Science High School (UBSHS) headed by principal Erlina De Peralta signed the petition urging the government to provide free dialysis treatment for all kidney patients undergoing the blood-cleansing procedure.
“Young as they are, the students are aware of the predicament of the dialysis patients being one of the health issues in our city and they willingly signed the petition because they knew it is one way to help these needy patients,” De Peralta said.
More signatures are expected as volunteers led by the dialysis patients associations in Baguio and Benguet and even private citizens and groups continue to present the petition to the different barangays in the Cordillera region.
Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club (BCBC) outgoing president Ramon Dacawi said all the signatures will be collated along with the resolutions of support from the local government units in the provincial, city, municipal and barangay levels and will be forwarded to the Office of the President, the Senate and House of Representatives, the Department of Health, PhilHealth and other national government agencies to come up with a unified Free Dialysis Health Program for the whole country.
The signatories included La Trinidad residents and students numbering close to 22,000 submitted by the Benguet Renal Center Patients and Caregivers Association headed by Ariel Bastian, the Baguio City jail inmates and personnel, employees of ABC 360, members of the taxi operators and drivers group, City Hall clients and employees, book and art patrons of Bookends and those who signed the online petition some of whom came from other provinces and cities in the country and from as far as countries in Asia, Europe and the United States.
The campaign spearheaded by the BCBC, the Philippine Information Agency and the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center for Hemodialysis Patients and Partner Association has received backing from the local governments of Baguio City and La Trinidad town which approved resolutions of support.
Responding to calls for support, the municipal councils of Kapangan and Itogon town in Benguet also approved their own resolutions to back the call for free dialysis nationwide.
The Kapangan resolution of support was signed by Mayor Manny Fermin and Vice Mayor Mayo Eslay while Itogon’s measure was approved by Mayor Victorio Palangdao and Vice Mayor Adriano Carantes Jr.
La Trinidad town’s Association of Barangay Councils headed by ABC president Councilor Teddy Quintos also passed its own resolution of support to the cause. Aileen Refuerzo/ PIO