Antique readies biggest medical mission

Gov. Salvacion Perez oversees the preparations of the province for Tabang Antique, the biggest medical mission that will be conducted in Antique on April 17 to 21, as chair of the Tabang Antique Executive Committee. She is assisted by her co-chair, Mayor Fernando Corvera of San Jose de Buenavista. Rep. Exequiel Javier, Bishop Raul Martirez and Bishop Romulo de la Cruz have also committed full support for the project.

Named after its lead group, the Sagip Bayan Foundation, Inc. of St. Luke’s Medical Center, Tabang Antique expects to gather about 500 doctors, dentists, health workers and volunteers to serve over 5,000 indigent patients who will be seeking consultation and undergo dental procedures and diagnostic examinations and 420 patients who will undergo various types of operations.

The St. Luke’s Sagip Bayan Foundation, Inc., headed by Dr. Hildegardes Dineros, will send a team composed of about 150 medical specialists, dentists, nurses and technicians who will be bringing along surgical, laboratory, X-ray, ultrasound and endoscopy equipment to provide free services to the indigent patients of the province. The Quezon City Dental Society will also send its team to join the medical mission while the members of the Philippine Urological Association will provide the Prostate Clinic.

Antique was chosen by the St. Luke’s Sagip Bayan Foundation, Inc. for its biggest medical mission to be held so far. Dr. Egidio Elio, an Antiqueño urologic surgeon, made the appeal on behalf of the people of Antique in October 2000. The Antique Medical Missions, Inc. has also gathered the Antiqueño medical specialists practicing outside the province to participate in Tabang, Antique.