By Ramon Dacawi
LA TRINIDAD,
Benguet -- A widow whose monthly income is less than the monthly amount needed
to keep her ailing son alive is knocking on Samaritans’ doors for support to
sustain his life-time treatment for kidney failure.
As farm
laborer at Alno, La Trinidad, Benguet, Rita Anuden receives between P2,000 to
P3,000 a month, falling far short of the cost of keeping alive her 16-year old
son Humphrey who has to undergo thrice-a-week hemodialysis in order to survive.
The boy,
eldest of three children, has to pay at least P2,250 for each blood-cleansing
session, or about P6,750 a week, presently being subsidized by Philhealth for a
maximum of 90 sessions per year.
A three
session per week, however, the boy has to have 156 treatments a year, or 66
more than the Philhealth allocation. The support is also whittled down each
time the patient is hospitalized, equivalent to one per day of confinement.
A native of
Hungduan, Ifugao, Rita lost her husband, Majesty, in July 2009, make her
the sole breadwinner as a farmhand.
Humphrey’s
case was diagnosed last April after he was brought to the Baguio General Hospital
and Medical Center complaining of weakness and dizziness.
“His mother
cannot sustain his thrice-a-week hemodialysis due to her irregular source of
income,” social worker Charity Mabini noted in a report she made on the medical
case.
People who
can and want to help may ring up the patient’s cellphone number – 09500413043.
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