Ex-CCMC patients gather to celebrate CH program
At least 570 former patients of Cebu City Medical Center were gathered yesterday to celebrate the first anniversary of Cebu City Government’s Home Visitation Program dubbed as PAGDUMALA (PagDU-aw, PagMAlasakit ug PagLAGsik).
PAGDUMALA is the city’s program in which former patients are visited by medical personnel in their respective houses for follow up checkups and to ensure that continued medication is observed.
City Health Department head Dr. Alma Corpin said her office has recorded a decrease in the mortality rate on pneumonia cases since the city government started the program to ensure continuity of delivery of health services to patients.
“Mortality nato ni-decrease kay inig gawas sa hospital maatiman man gyud nato, so lesser ang chance na ma-readmitted or mamatay kay i-look after man nato,” Corpin told reporters.
She said she has yet to collate the data that will support her observation of the decreasing mortality rate on some diseases in the city. Before the implementation of the program, Corpin said there are several residents of the city that will flock to the office to ask for medicines and other health services.
As of now, she said the city government is going to the respective houses of former patients to follow up their conditions.
Corpin said the city government will do all efforts to decrease the mortality of top diseases in the city such as pneumonia and stroke. Also yesterday, the medical personnel of CCMC conducted health education about stroke, dietary management, tuberculosis, dengue, and hypertension to the patients.
City Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos, deputy mayor for health services, said there is no allocated budget for this program, saying that they are only maximizing the existing budget of CCMC and CHD with the help of the Department of Health.
De los Santos brushed aside the idea that she will be accused of politicizing the project, saying that she started the program immediately after the May 2016 elections and the 2019 elections is still far.
“Once the patient is discharged from the hospital, there is a continuity of care. There’s a personal touch, bisitahon namo, tan-awn namo ang kahimtang sa pasyente, sakto ba ang pag-administer sa tambal, whether kasabot ba sila sa instruction sa doctor or angayan ba silang ibalik namo sa hospital,” she said.
De los Santos said there are challenges faced by the former patients including the lack of money to buy medicines and no chance to go back to the hospital because of other reason.
“The good thing that has been brought about by this program is the fact that there is a continuing movement of care from the hospital to the doorstep of their houses,” she added.
She said she plans to establish more teams to do the home visitation so that the program will be expanded.
The team will visit the houses of all discharged patients, regardless of political color, every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
FPL