COMMUNITIES in the islands of Camotes in northern Cebu will no longer need to travel far to tend to the health of their pets, poultry and livestock.

An inaugural ceremony for the first Province-operated veterinary clinic in the country was held in Barangay Calmante, Tudela town on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019.

Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, members of the Provincial Board, Rep. Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco (Cebu, 5th) and Tudela Mayor Greman Solante led the inauguration of the facility.

The clinic, which cost P5 million, will offer basic services for pets, livestock and poultry. Other medical services that will be made available include surgery, ultrasound, X-ray and other laboratory services.

Provincial Veterinarian Mary Rose Vincoy said the facility will help bring Capitol services closer to the people of Camotes.

Before the clinic was built, islanders used to travel close to 250 kilometers to get to mainland Cebu since unlike Bantayan Island, there are no municipal vets or private veterinarians operating in Camotes.

Vincoy said the clinic will help strengthen monitoring activities for animals in the islands, especially in ensuring the entire Camotes group of islands is rabies-free.

The Province’s veterinary clinic will cater to all Camotes residents as well as pet owners from neighboring Leyte. It will be be open on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with two attending vets and a medical technologist.

The Capitol will subsidize the clinic’s rates.

“This is timely because we are also positioning that if there are animals that need to be transported from the island to nearby provinces, the animals can be inspected,” Vincoy said in a mix of English and Cebuano.

Solante expressed his gratitude to the Capitol for choosing Tudela as the site for the clinic.

“This is for the farmers because our governor knows that the major source of income and livelihood of our people is agriculture and raising farm animals,” he said in Cebuano. (RTF)