- “Salamat Dok” holds medical mission in Taytay to celebrate 14th Anniversary
- Dept. of Health Sec. Francisco Duque commends program
More than a thousand Filipinos received free medical services when the “Salamat Dok” team led by anchors Bernadette Sembrano-Aguinaldo, Alvin Elchico, and Jing Castaneda celebrated the 14th anniversary of the “health show ng bayan” with a medical mission in Taytay, Rizal recently.
Together with volunteer doctors and nurses and partner organizations, the program was able to give free medical consultations to 534 kapamilyas, distributed free medicine to 312 people, conducted ECG, blood test, and ultrasound to 58, 23, and 20 individuals, respectively, and did 75 tooth extractions and 73 circumcisions. Ninety-three also received free eye check-ups and free glasses, while 18 were operated aboard the “Hospital on Wheels” where minor operations like lump removal and repair of cleft lips can be done.
Simultaneous to this was a live discussion facilitated by Alvin and Bernadette with Department of Health (DOH) secretary Dr. Francisco Duque III and Philhealth OIC-vice president for corporate affairs Dr. Israel “Ish” Pargas on the issues concerning the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia. Here, parents were able to ask the health officials directly on what assistance they can get from the government when it comes to taking care of the health of each family member.
DOH sec. Duque said “Salamat Dok” plays an important role in disseminating correct information to Filipinos on how to care for the well-being of the entire family.
“I am glad that the program is able to help Department of Health in promoting our health programs. Through ‘Salamat Dok,’ we are able to explain important messages such as that we have to regain our trust on vaccines so that we are able to protect our children from diseases that can possibly endanger their lives,” he said.
VP Pargas added that they will continue to support the advocacy of the program, which has been informing and educating viewers and delivering free medical services to Filipinos for more than a decade, with the help of volunteers and partner organizations in the government and private sector.
“You can expect our help and our cooperation at all times. We will remain open especially in spreading news about PhilHealth. On behalf of the Department of Health and our (PhilHealth) president Dr. Celestina Dela Serna, we greet the program a happy anniversary,” he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Maria Rowena Almedora, shared how the program’s visit to their community is a big help to her family, with the specialists it brought and variety of services it offered.
“We are able to have check-ups but we know that because the event is organized by “Salamat Dok,” there will be specialists coming. That’s why we really decided to line up here. We also got free reading classes, which is a good thing because I have had problems with my vision for a long time,” she said.
During the live program, Alvin reiterated that what keeps the team motivated to continue the long-running show are the patients that get better and recover from their sicknesses, and the lives that have changed because of the program. Bernadette also thanked all the individuals and organizations that have volunteered or given support to the projects of the “Salamat Dok.” One of these projects is the “Hospital on Wheels” that travels to far-flung communities to help Filipinos who are unable to go to the hospital to get treatment or be operated on. Jing said the program will continue to go to different areas in the country to deliver free medical services to the Filipino family.
Join Alvin Elchico, Bernadette Sembrano-Aguinaldo, and Jing Castaneda as they continue to serve Filipino families through the “health show ng bayan,” “Salamat Dok,” every Saturday at 6 am and Sunday, 7:30 am on ABS-CBN and ABS-CBN HD. Follow the program’s official social media accounts @ABSCBNsalamatdook on Facebook and @salamatdok on Twitter. For updates, follow @abscbnpr on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
