Mayor's office plus services to poor patients

To supplement the services rendered by the health department, the Office of the Mayor also extends related efforts to alleviate the plight of indigent patients and their families.

The office maintains at present two ambulances that ferry needy people --- sick or women on the verge of giving birth --- to hospitals and fetch them after treatment or giving birth.

Demand for services of the ambulances is such that they are seldom seen idle except in case of mechanical breakdown. But even when any one of them is out of commission, any of the service vehicles of the Mayor's Office takes its place.

In addition, the Mayor had assigned liaisons to negotiate with hospitals to bring fees within the reach of the poor patients.

In serious cases, the Mayor's staff prepares letters for his signature appealing for financial aid from the Philippine Charity and Sweepstakes Office or PCSO and other institutions to indigent patients. A liaison office handles this.*

36th 'Nutrition Month' marked

July is Nutrition Month. The celebration of the 36th edition of this annual event in Bayambang was under the auspices of the Municipal Nutrition Committee chaired by Mayor Ricardo M. Camacho and spearheaded by the Rural Health Unit under the leadership of Dr. Paz F. Vallo.

With Sa Pagkaing Tama at Sapat, Wastong Timbang na Bata ang Katapat as its theme, the celebration was ushered in morning of July 5 with a program at the municipal covered court. Dr. Maryknoll SinoCruz Catacutan, a specialist in pediatrics and herself a Bayambangueña, graced the occasion as guest of honor and speaker.

A number of activities were thereafter held:

1. July 13-16, 19-21: A lecture forum and demonstration for pregnant and post-partum mothers and mothers of severely-underweight and underweight pre-school children held in Barangays Wawa, Darawey, Pogo, Malioer, Buenlag I, Ataynan, Pangdel, Managos and Tatarac with the cooperation of DepEd PSU Nursing Department and Home Management Technology.
2. July 16: Supplemental feeding for a total of identified severely-underweight and underweight pre-school children in Buenlag I and Ataynan with the cooperation of MSWD and Kabisig ng Lahi (NGO).
3. July 13, 15, 16: Planting of fruit-bearing trees and seed distribution in Wawa, Pogo, Ataynan and Malioer with the help of the Department of Agriculture and LGU employees.

The celebration ended with a culmination program held under the aegis of the St. Vincent Catholic School.*