Free clubfoot treatments ongoing in Baguio

Mayor Benjamin Magalong is urging those with clubfoot or know of someone suffering from the deformity to immediately enlist in the ongoing Free Treatment of Clubfoot program being implemented by the  Philippine NGO Council (PNGOC) in partnership with the city government.

City Health Services Office (CHSO) deputy head Dr. Maria Lourdes Pakoy said those who want to avail of the free treatment should contact Edna Tomilas at cp no. 09190725439. She is the program’s contact person at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) where the treatments are conducted.

Pakoy said around 71 individuals have already been treated or are currently undergoing treatment of clubfoot at the BGHMC.

The Mayor made the appeal during his meeting, March 7, with officers of PNGOC, a national network of non-government organizations (NGOs) that work with national and local governments in promoting the health and well-being of Filipinos toward a humane and just society.

PNGOC Executive Dir. Maricar Vallido informed the Mayor that they are also implementing the SIKAT sa UHC (Sama-samang Inisyatiba para sa Kalusugan ng Taong-Bayan) project supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and is a multi-country initiative implemented in Cambodia, India and the Philippines.

She said the PNGOC plans to implement the project in three longtime project areas at the local government unit (LGU) levels – Baguio City, Tabaco City in Albay and Barangay Bagong Silang in Quezon City.

The project intends to complement the Universal Health Care (UHC) initiatives and programs of the Department of Health (DOH) and LGUs.

“With Baguio’s experience in integrating health programs especially during its pandemic response, we believe that like the two other LGUs, we could document good practices and modeling that could be shared with other areas in the country as well as with Cambodia and India,” Vallido said. – Gaby B. Keith