By Jel Santos
Medical specialists of the Ospital ng Makati (OsMak) on Tuesday went to villages in Makati to make health care accessible to residents.
According to Mayor Abigail Binay, the new barangay community service program of Ospital ng Makati started bringing medical specialists to four selected barangays in District 1.
These villages, according to the local government, are too far away from OsMak that is why they were chosen.
OsMak, the premier tertiary hospital run by the city government of Makati, fielded specialists from Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and General Surgery to the health centers of Barangays Pio del Pilar, Poblacion, Sta. Cruz, and San Antonio.
“I would like to congratulate OsMak for consistently delivering quality healthcare to our constituents in Makati. This community service program is a big help to residents of barangays in District 1 who find it difficult commuting to the hospital for their check-ups,” Binay said.
“This is our way of bringing specialized healthcare to them because we want to considerably improve the quality of life of every Makatizen,” she reiterated.
OsMak launched the program in partnership with the Makati Health Department (MHD) that chose the four pilot barangays.
Under the program, second and third year residents from OsMak will take morning or afternoon duties from Tuesday to Friday. Morning schedule is 9 a.m. to 12 noon while afternoon schedule is 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The local government said OsMak doctors will entertain both scheduled and walk-in patients in the said barangay health centers, especially discharged patients from OsMak who need follow-up check-ups.
Furthermore, the doctors will also conduct lectures and training for health workers, patients, and their relatives.
"The resident-doctors will also assist in the implementation of national health programs in the barangays. More importantly, the specialists will conduct lay fora on common surgical illnesses; communicable and non-communicable diseases; mother's classes; and child protection workshops, to name a few."