THE Angeles City Government has started providing free minor surgeries at the Puso Center, where the very first operation was performed on four underprivileged AngeleƱos on August 4.
Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. said the four financially-challenged patients successfully underwent cyst excision by a resident doctor at the Puso Center, Dr. Reynaldo Hipolito.
"The minor surgeries were already scheduled before the community quarantine, but we had to reschedule in order to ensure the patients' safety," Lazatin said.
He added that one of the four patients who resides in Barangay Cutcut had to endure the discomfort of having a back cyst for 15 years.
According to the patient's wife, Myrna Datu, they previously went to five different hospitals to inquire about the removal of her husband's cyst. To their dismay, the operation costs too much, and they were not able to afford it.
Lazatin's Executive Assistant IV Reina Manuel found out from a teary-eyed Myrna how her husband had to live 15 years of his life with a cyst on his back.
"His wife told me that it took them that long, 15 years, to have the procedure done, because they did not have enough money. Fortunately, they were able to learn about the free services being offered by the Puso Center," Manuel said.
Lazatin underscored that even with the minor surgeries being rescheduled due to the community quarantine, the other health services being offered for free at the Puso Center never stopped, such as free check-ups, providing free medicines and anti-rabies.
To date, the Puso Center has already served almost 2,000 patients since its launch in February.
It can be recalled that it was during Mayor Carmelo "Tarzan" Lazatin's stint that the first free minor surgery was performed for the indigents of the city. (PR)