CITY OF SAN FERNANDO --- The Department of Health (DOH) in Central Luzon has extended support to the Hagonoy Cardiovascular Assessment Recovery and Emergency Services (Hagonoy CARES) program.
The Hagonoy local government in Bulacan province disclosed that the DOH provided around P1.8 million to P2.4 million worth of medicines, hospital and medical assistance, and other types of aid for patients with heart-related diseases.
The local government said the assistance is a big help as it spends about P600,000 annually for the program.
Hagonoy CARES ensures that every resident with a heart-related illness can be regularly visited by a medical doctor.
The program also subsidizes and delivers a monthly supply of maintenance medicines, provides healthy meals to patients, and free shuttle service to and from the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City for particular cases.
Mayor Flordeliza Manlapaz said Hagonoy town is popular for seafoods and high-quality milkfish, shrimps, prawns and crabs.
She said the town is also infamous for heart-related illnesses with more than 7,000 cases, the highest in the province of Bulacan.
DOH Regional Director Corazon Flores reminded the people of Hagonoy to "choose to live longer" by eating more nutritious and healthy food.
“Please moderate the eating of milkfish, shrimps, prawns, and crabs which are high in cholesterol,” she said, as seafood is part of the daily meals of town residents.