GK goes into health services for the poor

From providing houses to thousands of poor families, Gawad Kalinga recently teamed up with a multi-specialty organization for the delivery of quality health services to the underprivileged.

GK, through its health arm G-Kare, signed a memorandum of agreement over the weekend with the Philippine Academy of Medical Specialists (PAMS) in a bid to provide quality health service nationwide, especially to the poor.

PAMS believes that a healthy community is “an integral part of national change and recovery,” while GK considers that addressing the health needs of the underprivileged in depressed communities is part of its holistic and multi-faceted approach to poverty.

GK implements its Gawad Kalusugan program in over a thousand GK communities across the country.

“PAMS has the manpower, the capability of train health care volunteers, and the ability to deliver quality health service to the people,” said Dr. Jose Yamamoto, head of G-Kare.

“This undertaking is meant to supplement and complement government efforts on health service delivery to the people,” he said.

According to Yamamoto, a thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon, GK’s partnership with PAMS would not only involve medical and surgical missions but also the conduct of training on health care.

Under the MOA, PAMS will assist GK in its Gawad Kalusugan program by conducting lectures on disease prevention and care for GK communities, training health care volunteers, and helping manage the GK clinics for free.

PAMS will likewise assist GK in evaluating and restructuring its health programs for the poor to fit the particular needs of specific GK sites.

Yamamoto said the joint undertaking of PAMS and GK would be implemented by January next year in areas and provinces to be selected by GK.

Yamamoto estimated that 24,000 families in 1,200 GK sites will benefit from the project.