CARD health programs continuously reaching poor Filipinos

About 500 microfinance clients in Mulanay, Quezon Province received free medical, dental and optical services recently during the Community Health Day led by the Microfinance and Health Protection (MaHP) Program unit of CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI), a social development organization that aims to eradicate poverty in the country.

Through MaHP, CARD MRI provides health services by bringing medical practitioners closer to the communities where economically-challenged families can avail quality services for free or at a reasonably low price.

Providing the members with affordable and quality medicines is made possible through BotiCARD, Inc., a pharmacy and one of the institutions of CARD MRI.

With dentists, nurses and doctors, CHD are continuously held over the country three to four times every month serving CARD members, their dependents and even non- members.

“In eradicating poverty, we must also eradicate possible causes of health problems. This is why we are really putting our efforts in our regular health programs. Financial assistance is not enough to help poor families. We also need to consider their health so they can work and give them more opportunities to get out of poverty,” says MaHP Deputy Director Dr. Roderick Belen.

During the CHD, microfinance clients who have low or no access to health care availed free health services such as dental care and extraction, free generic medicines, and medical check-up.

“Microfinance clients will find it difficult to focus on their business if their family is prone to illness due to lack of health care. This will affect their means of livelihood and will hinder them in meeting their basic needs and eventually ending up using their savings for health expenses. To avoid submerging themselves in debts due to health expenses, we make sure to provide them not only with financial but health services as well,” mentions CARD MRI Founder and Managing Director Dr. Jaime Aristotle B. Alip.

CARD believes that good health is important in reaching social development. It has been providing health programs to its clients since August 2006. The next series of community health days are set in the areas of Laguna, Quezon, and Marinduque.