Apayao soon to have free mobile clinic for residents of far-flung areas

Luna, Apayao – Residents of Apayao, especially those living in remote areas, will soon have better access to medical services as the Department of Health provided a free mobile clinic to the province.

Governor Elias Bulut, Jr. along with Provincial Health Officer Mark Joleen Calban personally received the ‘Bagong Pilipinas Mobile Primary Care Facility’ during the turn-over ceremony led by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos on Wednesday, July 10, at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.

Said mobile clinic is a bus designed to deliver free laboratory examinations, doctor consultations, and medicines. It is equipped with modern diagnostic tools, including a mobile digital X-ray machine, ultrasound machine, hematology analyzer for blood tests, binocular microscope, ophthalmoscope for eye tests, lab-grade refrigerator, and telemedicine equipment.

As mentioned by DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, in his interview with the media, the bus is the new project of DOH under the Bagong Pilipinas campaign of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

According to the secretary, the project aims to eliminate the barriers to health care access, particularly in disadvantaged areas where access to medical facilities is limited. Residents of those areas will benefit from a range of medical services without having to travel long distances.

Herbosa further informed there are 83 medical buses set to be deployed nationwide and Apayao is among the recent beneficiaries. Aside from said province, other places in Cordillera also received the same vehicle from DOH during the turn-over ceremony.