Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian received four mobile laboratory clinics and one water station from private partners in a turnover ceremony on Thursday ,March 20, at the Kalayaan Grounds in Malacanang Palace.
Gracing the event was First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, who has championed the “Lab for All” program that provides laboratory consultation and medicine for all Filipinos.
Secretary Gatchalian said the mobile lab clinics and water stations were extended by generous partners from the private sector, pursuant to the whole-of-nation approach to nation building.
“The four mobile laboratory clinics are equipped with a portable X-ray machine, an ECG, and Ultrasound AC units. Through these clinics, health services will be made available to communities, families and individuals that have difficulty accessing medical services, as well as other laboratory tests.
Similarly, the mobile water station is essential in providing disadvantaged communities with access to clean and potable water to prevent waterborne illnesses and improve overall health and sanitation,” Secretary Gatchalian explained.
These mobile health facilities will be helpful especially in addressing illnesses that can be treated with proper access to necessary health care services, according to the DSWD chief.
“We know that in poor and vulnerable households, spending for needed medical services is not always a priority,” Secretary Gatchalian pointed out.
Primarily, the mobile lab clinics will be used to provide a holistic intervention to the residents of the DSWD’s centers and residential care facilities (CRCF) where their health and well-being will also be checked and monitored.
The units, together with the agency’s mobile command center (MCC) and mobile kitchens, will also be deployed in disaster communities for a full service complement to meet the needs of the internally displaced families in terms of communications, food, water, and health.
The Department is also eyeing for a periodic deployment of the mobile lab clinics and water station at the Walang Gutom Kitchen (WGK) in Pasay City.
The mobile lab clinics and the water station complement the advocacy of the First Lady who is a known champion for the provision of free laboratory, consultation services, medicines, and clean drinking water for Filipinos in need through her Lab for All Program.
