Access to healthcare is a fundamental right for everyone. In the Philippines, however, many face significant challenges in accessing primary healthcare services, often due to a lack of awareness about available options. Imagine being unwell with limited access to necessary medical care—what would you do?
The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) is committed to building healthier lives for Cebuanos, one local government unit (LGU) at a time. RAFI believes that accessing primary healthcare should be both easy and convenient. One of RAFI’s Transformative projects called CARES (Cebuano Communities with Access to Relevant and Equitable primary healthcare Services), aims to turn this vision into reality through partnerships with local governments and like-minded organizations.
As a first step, RAFI has collaborated with the local government of Alcantara to launch the Alcantara CARES campaign, which focuses on strengthening information dissemination and improving access to the rural health unit’s services. Alcantara, a coastal municipality in Cebu, recognizes the pressing health challenges it is facing including limited access to healthcare facilities, high mortality rates from preventable diseases, malnutrition, lack of potable water, and prevalent health misconceptions in geographically isolated areas. These factors highlight opportunities of improvement for Alcantara’s health scorecard.
In response, Alcantara has embraced the challenge and partnered with RAFI to initiate its own health campaign. The launch of the CARES campaign was celebrated with the theme “Maayong Panglawas: Ang Bahandi sa Atong Komunidad,” aligning with Alcantara’s pride in its “bahandi” festival and emphasizing the value of health as a precious community treasure.
Since December 2023, the campaign has reached several significant milestones: the Rural Health Unit of Alcantara has been officially designated as a Primary Care Facility, local health board meetings are now held regularly, and the unit’s processes have undergone thorough review. A comprehensive communication plan has also been developed. Notably, 79 wheelchairs have been distributed, barangay health workers have received orientation, and 1,009 community members have participated in PhilHealth and First Encounter sessions. These accomplishments have been made possible through the dedicated support and active involvement of the local government unit of Alcantara, led by Mayor Fritz Lastimoso, Vice Mayor Larry Llenos, and their team at the rural health unit.
“Through the partnership, we have shown that as long as we work together, the whole community, led by our local leaders, we can achieve anything. Alcantara CARES is proof that Alcantara, led by Mayor Fritz, Vice Mayor Larry, our RHU team, and the community, has reached its goals, even though we still have ongoing projects and planning. We’re very happy to show that the services and programs discussed earlier by Doc Anduyan are now the focus of RAFI, aiming to partner with Alcantara to further extend these programs and services to the community,” Riella Mae Guioguio, Chief Operating Officer of RAFI expressed during the Alcantara CARES launch.
On August 7, 2024, during the ceremonial launch, stakeholders from the municipality expressed their commitment to supporting the rural health unit and its activities. Additionally, the municipality unveiled a new jingle as part of its information, education and communication (IEC) campaign, designed to spread awareness and encourage healthy living among its constituents.
Together, these efforts represent a significant stride toward ensuring that healthcare services are accessible and equitable for all members of the Alcantara community.
