They've got it all, including the SM Medical Missions
MANILA, Philippines - Aware that many of those who have low incomes tend to have not only little education but also poor health, SM Foundation has institutionalized a program that provides comprehensive medical and dental services to the less fortunate, the SM Medical Missions.
These health missions, aptly called SM Medical Missions/Gamot Para sa Kapwa, form part of the Foundation’s health and medical program. At the helm of SM Foundation’s health and medical program is executive director for health and medical services Connie Angeles whose stewardship has earned for the Foundation recognition from the World Health Organization. The program also garnered the Best in Health Special Award during the 2nd Management Association of the Philippines-Corporate Social Responsibility Challenge awarding ceremony.
The medical missions trace their beginnings from Gamot Para Sa Kapwa launched in 1998, purely a medicine campaign that encouraged SM shoppers to donate unopened and unexpired medicines to the needy. According to Angeles, medical missions were also conducted then but occasionally upon request of a civic organization or an individual. It was not until 2001 when a more aggressive Gamot Para Sa Kapwa medical mission was institutionalized. Armed with her expertise and experience from Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko Foundation, Angeles joined SM Foundation during the same year and steered its health and medical programs into what they are today.
Going by the numbers, 691 medical missions have been conducted since 2001 until June 2012. The total number of beneficiaries has reached 548,455. For 2012 alone, 78 medical and dental missions are calendared. This can increase along the year as additional requests come in.
The core objective of the medical and dental missions is to provide comprehensive medical and dental services to target beneficiaries. Medical consultations are made available to the beneficiaries. After the consultation, various laboratory tests and services are also available free of charge. These tests are vital in the proper diagnosis and help doctors determine the medicines to be prescribed. Depending on the medical tests required by the doctor, a beneficiary can avail of any of the following: urinalysis, X-ray, electrocardiograph, complete blood chemistry including FBS, lipid profile, RBS, complete blood count, and bone density testing. These tests and procedures are conducted at SM mobile clinics. There are currently two mobile clinics servicing Metro Manila and the Luzon area. Another serves the needs of those in the Visayas and is also used during medical missions in Mindanao although the Foundation intends to procure a mobile clinic solely to service beneficiaries in Mindanao to prevent the mobile clinic from traveling from Visayas to Mindanao through roro, says Angeles.
The medical mission provides a complete dosage of prescribed medicines and vitamins. For the given medical service to be effective, medication should be completed and to save the patient from worrying about the budget for his medicines, SM Foundation dispenses the compl ete number of medicines required. Some medicines are donated by pharmaceutical companies, but the bulk is purchased by the Foundation, for which it allots a yearly budget.
The daunting task of delivering free medical services is shared by SM Foundation project partners. In the forefront are the volunteer doctors and medical personnel who share their time and skills for free. Some of the doctors are from hospitals where Felicidad T. Sy Wellness Centers are located. Other partners are the Local Government Units, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), Department of Health (DoH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), various NGOs, civic organizations, AFP, Philippine Medical Association, dental associations, Watsons, Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko Foundation, and several pharmaceutical companies.
