I REMEMBER some circumstances that need to be evaluated for us to get better ideas.
One afternoon, I went to a carenderia to eat and was bitten by a dog after I kicked it when it went after a piece of adobo that fell on the floor. I asked the dog’s owner to defray the expenses for the anti-rabies vaccination that I had to undergo but she told me that what happened was my mistake. After a long argument, she gave me P3,000 but the cost of the vaccination amunted to P10,000. I didn’t complain.
Meanwhile, there was my co-teacher who was also bitten by a dog and the dog owner gave her P15,000. He spent only P3,000 for the vaccination so that he was able to save P12,000. I don’t want to compare his situation ang mine because these were different but I think our local officials need to come up with an ordinance mandating that dogs must be placed in cages so these won’t harm people.
Then there’s the matter of the distribution of free anti-rabies vials. Since I am not a voter in Cebu City, I wasn’t given the vaccination. I was endorsed to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center. My question is, wouldn’t a patient with a serious injury die because he is refused medical help because he is not a voter in a certain area?--Oliver G. Tubin, MA, Ed of Talamban Night High School