THERE is a growing need for basic medical checkup amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
Symptoms of common flu could not just be taken for granted even if such may have just been caused by fluctuating weather conditions.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, private and public hospitals and even barangay health centers are swarmed by new and regular patients and therefore those who suffer from mild illnesses would rather engage in self-medication than expose themselves to the hospital environment that plays host to various kinds of germs.
San Miguel Brewery Inc. saw the need to re-open its community clinic and held its blessing on June 26 located at its Bacolod Brewery compound in Barangay Granada, Bacolod City.
The clinic, which is being managed by the San Miguel Foundation in cooperation with the Bacolod City Health Office, was transferred to its new location to accommodate more indigent residents from host communities in Granada and Estefania.
Residents of the Abada-Escay relocation site in Barangay Vista Alegre are also accommodated in the clinic.
The clinic has been serving the community since 2017 as part of the company's social responsibility program. More than 10,000 indigent patients have availed themselves of free consultation and medicine for common illnesses.
Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, however, the clinic was forced to stop operation in April as the city went into quarantine. It will resume operation by Monday.
Barangay Granada chief Alfredo Talimodao Jr. expressed his council's gratitude for the reopening, saying that his constituents need not go to the City Health or other government health facilities for medical consultations.
The clinic is a big help to the community, Estefania village head Jerry Tingson said, especially now with the pandemic, we want to limit movement of our residents.
Resident physician Milagros Amarra said they will be implementing new guidelines in the clinic to align with the standards set by the Department of Health on Covid-19 preparedness and response.