“The health center in close to our place, but there is no medicine. They gave us a prescription
and I would to the municipal to get medicine. They give me medicine but it is challenging. If
the sickness is severe, I will go to the hospital but it is really far.”
“Isang nurse lang sa barangay clinic. Tapos, minsan wala pa kasi may lakad daw o pupunta
sa mga patients nila, ganoon.”
“There is only one nurse in the barangay clinic. Sometimes the nurse is not available due to
other obligations or have other patients to visit.”
The health needs of persons with disabilities vary with the type of limitation (e.g., mobility or
cognitive) and by the condition underlying the disability. Certain persons with disabilities require
specialize services and treatments that are often absent in public health institutions. For
example, only tertiary hospitals, such as the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, provide free
assessment for children with disabilities.
“In Davao area, there are only three Behavioral and Developmental pediatricians. There is no
government facility that offers Occupational Therapy or any Applied Behavioral Analysis Test
for children with behavioral problems. In private clinics, payment for therapy is very costly.”
“Specialization in the hospital was needed due to the delicate condition of the child. If we put
the child in a low cost regular facility, the likelihood of complications was very high. The daily
needs of parents are hard because it will all be given to the child.”
With long line queues and waiting period at public health facilities, persons with disabilities
are forced to seek treatment in private clinics and have to pay exorbitant fees which prove to be
too costly especially for mothers with no source of income.
“Oo, mayroon sa aming mga ospital pero puro private. Bago pa matanggap, kailangan pang
pagdaanan ang maraming proseso. Kailangan rin na may dala kang pera na pang-down.
Wala kasi nga kaming public hospital sa ngayon. Sarado ang Salamangka ngayon dahil nga
under renovation. Kaya halos lahat dito ang takbuhan. Kaya minsan kapag mayroon kaming
emergency, minsan tumutulong ako na idiretso na sa Trese hangga’t maari. Sinasabihan ko
sila na huwag na silang dumaan kung saan-saan. Kasi sa ngayon, wala talaga kaming public
hospital.”
“Kadalasan kasi sa public doctor, minsa wala o kaya naman minsan nurse lang ang nasa
clinic, ganoon. Tapos, marami pang nagpupunta sa public clinic, kaya siksikan at tapos
may mga sakit pa.”
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