Rural medical care
AS a “probinsyano,” I enjoy traveling the length and breadth of the country. In my sojourns, I find myself asking many questions regarding the passing scenery and the quality of life of rural folks. Many years back when I visited Jolo, Sulu, I managed to see the condition of their provincial hospital. It remains a haunting imagery. Every time I find myself on a road trip, I wonder what is the state of health/medical services in the far-flung places I see? Where do our people go for consultation/reliable treatment? It is a concerned curiousness since I cannot help but identify myself as a resident of the places I visit with the out-of-city mentality imbedded in my psyche. How do townsfolk deal with reality when struck down with infirmity? Dengue? Heart ailment? Eye problem? Cancer? Etc.? Who do the ruralfolk consult when challenged by eventual health problems? How about emergencies when in far-flung sitios hours from the urban proper? What is the plight of Municipal Hospitals? District and Provincial Hospitals? Let’s not even go far. How about Mt. Barangay Health Centers? How many “probinsiyanos” have lost their lives in the absence of doctors or specialists etc. in medical centers? Because of a lack in medical facilities, new equipment, basic medicines and updated treatments? This brings to mind my interview (Tuesdays 8 p.m. Destiny Channel 8, Sky 213 etc.) with PCSO Director Sandra Cam who divulged, if STL (Small Town Lottery) is properly managed, it could earn – gross – R200 million daily or around R6 billion monthly. Incomes separate sweepstakes and a combination of Lotto games e.g. Mega-Lotto, Ultra-Lotto etc. Said STL earnings could be channeled to address the dire state of medical care in rural areas. STL should now be managed by PCSO, never the franchisees who often are jueteng lords which remit 20%-30% of actual earnings. PCSO must begin donating medical equipment including amphibious ambulances and amphibious vehicles to local/ rural areas prone to disaster/ floods. This is multiplying “charity” in the mandate of the agency, for our poor people.