DOCTORS FOR THE POOR. During the regular program of Pulong-Pulong ni Pulong on Tuesday, Feb. 7, Dr. Myles Clement Ababon,a young doctor assigned in Paquibato District, urges other young doctors to serve in public health to give assistance to the people especially those who are living in far-flung communities. (Earl O. Condeza/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—A city councilor on Tuesday urged all young medical doctors to serve in the far-flung communities.
Councilor Mary Joselle Villafuerte, chairperson of the Committee for Health, said that the city lacks medical doctors both in Marilog and Paquibato Districts.
Villafuerte said the doctors assigned in the city’s 17 district health centers are not enough to accommodate the people living in those far-flung communities, adding that they are targeting to have one doctor per 20,000 patients.
“And slowly we are trying to get there,” she said.
To temporarily address the shortage, Villafuerte is working on a Memorandum of Agreement for the two doctors to be assigned in Marilog and Paquibato Districts.
These doctors were Myles Clement Ababon assigned at Paquibato District and Christian Lumpot assigned in Marilog district. Both of them were assigned at their respective areas back in 2015.
“The suppose MOA should be done last 2015 but as you know we were overtaken by events and our then mayor became president so the new MOA, the signatory will be Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio,” she said.
Villafuerte said that Mayor Sara Duterte is planning to give an honorarium of P10, 000 instead of the P7, 000.
For his part, Dr. Myles Clement Ababon, urged his fellow young doctors to serve at the public health centers in far-flung areas.
“I urge my fellow doctors, who are fresh graduates, they should go to public health and become doctors to the barrios because there are a lot of municipalities and areas in the Philippines still underserved,” he said.
Ababon said that he has the difficulty to cover all the sitios in the district due to its distance.
“When I went there, they were all happy to see me because they are seldom visited by the doctors and have free medicines because of the distance,” he said. (davaotoday.com)
