Volunteers prepare to distribute medicines and vitamins to the beneficiaries composed of fire victims from Barangays Guizo and Mantuyong in Mandaue City. (contributed)
More than 600 individuals who were victimized by the fire that struck Barangays Guizo and Mantuyong in Mandaue City availed of free medical check-up and medicines during the medical mission conducted by the Mandaue City Cooperative Development Office and Mandaue City Cooperative Development Council (MCCDC) at the Cebu International Convention Center last Wednesday.
The beneficiaries also received vitamins, eye drops and soaps during the mission that started at 8 a.m. and ended at 3 p.m.
Luciana Miscala, 52, one of the beneficiaries whose house was damaged by the fire last March 12, said, “Pa-check-up gyud mi diretso sa akong pamilya pagkabalo namo nga naay medical mission kay lisod baya among kahimtang diri ug gihubak pa gyud ko tungod sa kainit sa among barung-barong (When we learned about the medical mission, we immediately grabbed the opportunity to avail of the free checkup because we are struggling financially and I have a cough because of the intense heat).”
The medical mission was also participated by the Eversley Child Sanitarium and General Hospital, Our Lady of Fatima Multipurpose Cooperative, Cordova Multipurpose Cooperative, Operation Blessing Foundation, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Philippine Academy of Family Physicians and Mandaue City Health Office.
Most of the cases encountered by the medical team were cough, fever, colds and sore eyes.
“Naa nay mandato sa amo nga basta adunay mga kalamidad, natural man or man-made, naa gyud mi buhaton para sa mga naapektahan (We have a mandate that if there is a calamity, natural or man-made, we must do something for those affected),” MCCDC officer Ernesto Marinduran told Cebu Daily News.
Marinduran said the medical mission was also in support of the City Health’s order to lessen illnesses among the fire victims, who have been staying at the CICC grounds since after the fire.
“Kung naa pay sunod nga medical mission, manghinaot mi nga mahatagan og mga habol, kaldero, ug mga sanina kay kinahanglanon gyud namo sa among pang-adlaw-adlaw nga panginabuhi (If there will be a next medical mission, we hope that we will receive blanket, pots, and clothes because these are very important in our everyday lives),” Miscala said.