By PNA
GENERAL SANTOS CITY — A United States-based charity organization will conduct a week-long major surgical and dental mission here next month in partnership with the city government.
Dr. Ryan Aplicador, medical director of the local government-run Dr. Jorge P. Royeca Hospital, said Wednesday the screening activities are ongoing for prospective beneficiaries of the mission, which is slated on February 3-9.
Aplicador said the activity will be spearheaded by volunteer doctors, including specialists, of the Medical Mission of Mercy (MMOM) USA.
The official said the free medical mission is open to residents of the city’s 26 barangays and other neighboring areas.
He said the surgical procedures will be free of charge, so long as the beneficiaries comply with the necessary laboratory tests.
“For city residents, the laboratory fees are free. For those coming from other areas, we refer them to their respective local government units for assistance. But the operation is free for everyone,” he said in a statement.
Aplicador said they have set up a one-stop shop at the city hospital to fast-track the screening of the prospective beneficiaries.
Among the surgical operations that will be catered to by the mission are for cleft lip and palate, goiter, cyst, polyps, orthodontics, and other special cases.
MMOM USA, which is based in Washington DC, had been conducting medical missions in parts of the country since 2001 through its team of volunteers composed of Filipino-American doctors.
After the medical missions, the group donates the unused supplies to hospitals and various organizations that care for the under-privileged communities.
The city is the first stop of the group’s scheduled mission in February. A similar activity is also slated to be held in Davao City.
