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Free treatment for ailing indigent kids proposed

May 12, 2023 Jester P. Manalastas 151 views

TWO solons have filed a proposed law mandating all hospitals, medical centers, clinics and other health institutions giving frontline medical services to provide free medical treatment to indigent children.

In filing House Bill 7866, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte and Benguet Rep. Eric Yap said most of the t indigent children have no adequate means to avail medical services.

Also known as the Indigent Children Free Medical and Dental Service Act, the measure requires the giving of free medical and dental services to indigent children or those who are below 18 years of age and whose parents or guardians have no means of providing for their immediate health needs.

Duterte also noted that the 1987 Constitution highlights the need for an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development that will make health services available to the people at an affordable cost.

Meanwhile, Yap explained that despite such Constitutional guarantees, medical and dental check-ups remain unreachable to the vulnerable, especially to the poorest of the poor.

“Regular health check-ups play a vital role to the children’s development because these check-ups help detect and address health concerns and ensure that a child’s growth and development are on track,” Yap stressed.

The Act seeks to mandate hospitals, medical centers, clinics and other health institutions that provide frontline medical services in the country to give free medical and dental treatment to the indigent children, to be headed by the Department of Health (DOH), in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).