RiteMed Brand Ambassadress Susan Roces took time out from her busy schedule and graced the ‘PhilHealth-DOH Run 2013: Nationwide Run for Mother and Child Protection’, which is the highlight of the 18th anniversary of PhilHealth.

Roces said she has personally experienced in her lifetime the difficulty of “being pressured with very expensive care that is necessary for serious ailments”, so she is fully supporting the campaign of the Department of Health (DoH), Philhealth and RiteMed in delivering universal healthcare to Filipinos.

The Brand Ambassadress of RiteMed adds that spreading the message and disseminating the information to people about universal health care is one form of support. “We have to inform people that there are now other means that do not cost much. These include the programs that the DoH and Philhealth are offering as well as the medicines of RiteMed, especially the health packs for maintenance of some common diseases among Filipinos such as diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.”

Under the theme ‘Synergy for Universal Health Care!’, PhilHealth and DoH are leading the government’s drive towards rolling out the universal health care system across the country.  The run is in support to mother and child’s health which is one of the country’s commitments to the Millennium Development Goal of reducing child mortality and improving maternal health. 

Roces also emphasized the importance of maternal healthcare, saying it is “very necessary”. According to her, “Kung malusog ang ina, ang tsansa na maging malusog ang kanyang anak ay 99 percent. Bibihira na lang ang nangyayari na in spite of all of that, nagkakaroon ng mga pregnancy na may abnormalities.”

[If the mother is healthy, the chance of her children being healthy is as high as 99%. Rarely does it happen that a healthy woman goes through a difficult or abnormal pregnancy].

The main national beneficiaries of the first simultaneous nationwide running event are the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (a health care facility for diseases of children) and the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital (a maternal and newborn tertiary hospital). Other health care facilities catering to mother and child health in each of the major regional run sites have also been identified as beneficiaries.

“Nagpapasalamat ako sa DoH, Philhealth at RiteMed at pinaprayoridad nila ang universal healthcare. Ang nangangailangan nito ay ang nakararami sa ating mga kababayan na naghahanap ng paraan kung paano nila malulunasan ang kanilang mga problema sa kalusugan na abot-kaya ng kanilang bulsa.”

[I am thankful to DoH, Philhealth and RiteMed because they are prioritizing universal healthcare. Majority of our fellow Filipinos need this, especially those who have been looking for means to find solutions and remedies to their healthcare needs and problems that are affordable and within their reach.”]

The PhilHealth-DOH Run 2013 was simultaneously held in over 18 sites in the country which included Manila , Baguio, Dagupan, Tuguegarao, Clark, Malolos, Laguna, Batangas, Legazpi, Iloilo , Cebu, Tacloban, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, Davao , Koronadal, Marawi, Butuan and Tubod, Lanao del Norte.