STA. CRUZ, Manila – 22 March 2007 — Family Vaccine and Specialty Clinics (FVSC) and its operating partner, RNMD Specialty Clinics (RNMD), together with the 3rd District of Manila, announced the opening of its 41st Animal Bite Clinic in the country, this time for the primary benefit of the local residents in Sta. Cruz and Binondo areas.
The clinic, located at the Lanuza Health Center along 1533 Alvarez Sta. Cruz, Manila, will provide treatments to animal bite patients residing in the said Manila vicinity.
The inauguration is attended by Rep. Miles Andrew M. Roces (3rd district of Manila), Enrique Y. Gonzalez, Chief Executive Officer of IPVG Corp. (PSE: IPVG) and Greg Ortile, General Manager – FVSC.
"Providing healthcare is a key challenge in 3rd world countries where there is usually a gap between requirements of public and available resources. It is part of IPVG’s corporate responsibility to contribute to the welfare of the poor in the Philippines. As rabies is a lethal disease that affects both urban and rural poor, IPVG will assist through financing, the public- private partnership between the 3rd district of Manila and FVSC." IPVG chief executive officer Enrique Gonzalez said.
"My constituents in the 3rd District of Manila would be treated urgently now that they have a nearby facility that can provide them with free anti rabies shots specifically the first and last. We are very fortunate to have found IPVG, FVSC and RNMD, more so to be among the early beneficiaries of this public service," says Cong. Roces.
In the Philippines, rabies continues to be a grave public health concern, with valuable lives lost every year due to the high cost or inaccessibility of treatments, absence of patient education, as well as the unavailability of critical vaccines and medicines among health facilities in both rural and metropolitan areas.
"Many Filipinos continue to be ignorant about the infliction. Many people still believe rabies is only transmitted by bites from stray dogs. However, research indicates that pets cause 90% of dog bites. To address the issue, the first step is to educate Filipinos on how to reduce the risk of contracting rabies", Ortile said.
The incubation period for rabies can be as long as ten years, although 95% of those infected develop the disease within one year. Once a patient starts to show symptoms, he or she usually dies within 10 days. There is no treatment except for sedation, and patients are usually brought to the main rabies ward in the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila where they eventually die.
FVSC is a privately-held company primarily engaged in importing, distributing and administering vaccines at its clinics. Its mission is to make quality and essential vaccines accessible, available and affordable to Filipinos, particularly to those belonging to the lower income groups.
The company also aims to initiate public-private partnerships in the pharmaceutical sector by establishing animal bite clinics, and to maximize the government's health budgets through the sale of low-cost pharmaceuticals.
For more information on IPVG’s health advocacy programme, call tel. no. 7571731 and look for Greg Ortile.