The City Health Office initiated the proposal, which was filed by Councilor Richlyn Justol-Baguilod, who chairs the Committee on Health, as a way of recognizing the senior citizens' contribution to making the city a better place to live.
"As we all know, our laws really emphasize the welfare of our senior citizens. If we are talking about the welfare of senior citizens, the most important aspect will be their health. As the chairperson of the Committee on Health, we are enticed of the services it can cater to the senior citizens when this will be pushed through," she said in a report from the City Information Office.
The ordinance will provide free basic health services to senior citizens, decongesting the load on Barangay Health Centers (BHCs). The BHCs usually cater to medical consultation and other related needs of Dabawenyo senior citizens.
Baguilod underscores the need to decongest the load of patients that the BHCs have to accommodate every day, adding one way is the utilization of pre-existing rooms and buildings as medical clinics for senior citizens.
Banguilod said she hopes that the ordinance will soon be implemented using a pre-existing building, the Sta. Building, as its core site, will serve as a token of gratitude for the elderly who also contributed to the city’s growth.
The law, exclusive to Davao City residents aged 60 years and above, affirms the value of the Filipino tradition of caring for older adults and is aligned with national laws on senior citizens' welfare, such as the Universal Health Care Act and the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, which aim to grant Filipinos immediate access to medical, dental, mental, and emergency health services, and provide a Healthy and Productive Ageing Program for senior citizens to promote their well-being and contribute to nation building.
The law only shows the city’s commitment to improving the senior citizens' well-being by providing them with a “Healthy and Productive Ageing Program," a community-based program exclusive for Davao City residents 60 years old and above.
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