Barefoot and limping, 70-year-old Jose Vindon from Barangay Nabuclod, a remote village in the town of Floridablanca in Pampanga, was struggling as he was ushered into a row of plastic chairs where residents who wish to see a doctor in the recent LAB for All caravan await their turn.

“Masakit ‘yung katawan ko at malabo ang paningin ko. Kapag umaakyat ako sa bundok, humihina ako, kapag nagtatanim ako ng gulay, namamaril ng ibon. Kasi nagtatanim ako ng gulay para ibenta, kung hindi ako magtanim, wala akong kakainin,” he told the Philippine Information Agency. 

(My body is aching and I have poor eyesight. I feel weak whenever I go up into the mountains as well as when I plant vegetables which I sell. I won’t have anything to eat if  I don’t work.)

Doctors who later examined Vindon said he has cataract in both eyes, and pterygium (an overgrowth on the surface of the eye) in his left eye. 

He was given vitamin supplements and was referred to a government hospital for cataract surgery.

Luckily, eye care is in the menu of health services under Republic Act 11223 or the Universal Healthcare Act of 2019 and indigent patients like Vindon may avail of the services offered by the government. 

Meanwhile, 75-year-old Aurora Apang sat on a wheelchair and patiently waited for her turn. She has tuberculosis (TB).

“Sumisikip ang hininga ko at hindi nakakalakad, nakakalabas ng bahay. Sana matanggal ‘yung hingal ko para maibsan ang pakiramdam ko,” she said. 

(I am having shortness of breath. I can't walk or go outside the house. I hope that my panting stops so that I can feel better)

Apang was later prescribed medicines which were then filled up by a pharmacist who was dispensing medicines in the medical mission. She will be enrolled under the directly-observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) to completely treat her ailment.

Vindon and Apang were among the nearly 3,000 who got free medical and dental services, medicines, seedlings and farming tools, cash, and food packs during the recent LAB for All caravan of First Lady Marie Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos.

LAB stands for Laboratoryo at Gamot para sa Lahat, a one-stop caravan of government services initiated by the First Lady in partnership with the Department of Health, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Commission on Higher Education, Department of Agriculture, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, the host local government unit, and the private sector.

Universal Healthcare under the Bagong Pilipinas

In her message, Araneta-Marcos underscored that the LAB for All program is part of the Bagong Pilipinas developmental framework of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. 

“So today, katulad ng ipinangako ng asawa ko, [just like what my husband has promised] we will continue to bring government services closer to the people,” she said in her speech

The First Lady also turned-over a light cargo truck which farmers can use to transport farm produce, and a water tanker that will be used to bring potable water to far-flung  areas.

Started in May 2023, LAB for All has been working to bring primary health care services with several laboratory tests such as electrocardiogram, ultrasound, blood chemistry, and dental services to various communities in the Philippines.

Pampanga’s efforts towards UHC

Vice Governor Lilia Pineda pledged that the provincial government would push for programs to ensure that all Kapampangans will get primary care services.

“Sana masama po sa programa ng gobyerno 'yung ating mga kababayan na katutubo kasi ang sabi nila may pangarap din sila sa buhay, gusto nilang makisama sa mga unat sa ibaba[I hope that our indigenous peoples will be included in the programs of the government because they said that they also have their dreams in life, they also want to be integrated with the people in the lowlands],” she pressed. 

The provincial government continuously conducts the Alagang Nanay Preventive Health Care Program which provides free medical consultations and laboratory tests for heart diseases, cancers, hypertension, and diabetes. 

It has likewise enacted an ordinance supporting UHC and approved a P100-million worth provincial health budget for 2024. 

Also, the 21 mayors of Pampanga committed to integrate the province-wide health system to ramp up the implementation of UHC through a Memorandum of Agreement with health professionals earlier this month.

LAB for All’s inclusive services

DOH, through its National Tuberculosis Control Program, has public DOTS facilities such as rural health units, health centers, school clinics, military hospitals, and jail clinics; or private clinics, hospitals or laboratories.

Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, which seeks for universal access to health care services under the UHC, also offers the TB DOTS package.

The UHC was considered a landmark law as it ensures that every citizen is entitled to health coverage that will lower out-of-pocket expenses. 

Indeed, programs providing primary care services such as the LAB for All can be considered as real investment in healthcare as it can lead to early detection of diseases, and it would save lives. (CLJD/JLDC-PIA 3)