TACLOBAN
CITY,
Leyte – The Renal Diseases Control Program (REDCOP) Medical and Surgical
Mission and Lay Advocacy Forum in Catarman will take off on May 19 at
the Northern
Samar Provincial Hospital and at the Freedom Park of the capital town.
The medical team is
composed of more than 40 volunteer doctors who are all specialists in
their own respective fields. They will be doing surgical work on
kidney and gall stones and other operations and services that are not
easily accessible in the province.
The team is headed by
NKTI Executive Director, Dr. Enrique T. Ona who is a transplant
surgeon, and Dr. Remedios de Belen-Uriarte, National Program Director
of REDCOP. Joining them are Dr. Antonio Paraiso, nephrology consultant
of NKTI, Dr. Eduardo Rivera, Urology consultant, Dr. Jaime Velasquez,
anesthesiologists and Dr. Carlos Ramon Torres who is also a urologist.
Dr. Uriarte commended
Congressman Harlin Abayon of the first district of Northern Samar for
inviting the REDCOP and National Kidney and Transplant Institute to
have such mission in Catarman and the Provincial Government of
Northern Samar thru Governor Raul Daza for giving its all out support
to the medical mission.
The Medical Mission
hopes to be able to treat as many patients as possible. The surgical
patients have been screened and were given schedules so that they will
not have to wait for a long time for their turn. The out patients who
will be served at Freedom Park have also been pre listed to avoid any
confusion.
Meanwhile, a RECOP
Advocacy Forum is scheduled in the afternoon of May 19, at the Ibabao
Hall in order to seek the support of the local government officials,
the medical health officers, the private sector and the heads of other
agencies in the prevention and control of renal diseases which affects
not only the old but also the young population. This activity will be
conducted by the REDCOP Advocacy Committee chaired by the Philippine
Information Agency in the Region headed by Dir. Olive Tiu.
Renal diseases rank
number ten killer disease claiming the lives of about 7,000 Filipinos
every year. In the Region, it ranks 6th and so everybody must help
prevent and control this disease. The Provincial government of
Northern Samar through the leadership of Governor Daza has included
the prevention of non communicable diseases as one of its major
programs.
