IT was in 2001 when the first SM Foundation medical mission was conducted to make basic health care services accessible to those who can barely afford services in private clinics and hospitals for their medical consultation and diagnostic tests. Since then, SM Foundation has been mounting medical, dental and diagnostic missions throughout the country where SM businesses are located. Aside from volunteer doctors from partner organizations, SM Foundation also deploys its mobile clinics that are stationed in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

For the month of May, SM Foundation conducted four medical missions: in Trece Martires, Iloilo City, Quezon City, and Nasugbu, Batangas.

May 12: In Trece Martires, venue of the medical mission was SM City Trece Martires. A total of 600 services were provided. Medical consultation was the most availed of among the services reaching 411. Other services and the corresponding statistics include dental (50), sugar test (31), uric acid test (34), cholesterol test (27), ECG (20), and x-ray (27).

May 16 – 17: At the Jaro Gymnasium in Iloilo City, the two-day medical mission beneficiaries were market vendors. On the first day, a total of 397 services were rendered: medical (193), dental (61), sugar test (40), cholesterol test (27), uric acid test (36), xray (27), and ECG (13). On the 2nd day, day, the number of services more than doubled at 829: medical (480), dental (140), sugar test (48), cholesterol test (27), uric acid test (38), xray (44), and ECG (52).

May 24: The medical mission in Quezon City was for residents of U.P. Bliss in Barangay San Vicente. At the Suntay Social Hall, 306 patients availed of 511 services. Of this number, 231 were medical consultations; 75, dental; 53, x-ray; 54, ECG; 34, sugar tests; 19 cholesterol tests; and 45, uric acid tests.

Project partners were U.P. Bliss Senior Citizens Achievers Chapter; UP Bliss Community Association; Brgy. San Vicente, Q.C. under Brgy. Captain Willy Real, Quezon City Medical Society, DMIRIE and Quezon City Rotary Club.

May 26: With its partners, the Looc Barangay officials, DMIRIE Foundation and Manila Southcoast Development Corporation, SM Foundation then conducted a medical and diagnostic mission to residents in Barangay Looc, Nasugbu, Batangas where 267 patients availed of 363 medical consultations, dental and diagnostic services. Dispensed services were medical consultations (181), dental (86), x-ray (31), ECG (15), sugar test (16), cholesterol test (16), and uric acid test (20).

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