Sorsogon Provincial Health Office provide free flu vaccine to indigent senior citizens

By Irma A.  Guhit

SORSOGON CITY, JANUARY 4 (PIA)….” Indigent senior citizens (SC) here in the province of Sorsogon are now provided free flu vaccines to address earlier most of the respiratory health problems brought about by old age. Indigent old people usually suffer respiratory diseases due to cold weather condition, poor living conditions and poor diet, “Dr. Liduvina D. Dorion informed the public in her regular radio program "Paalalang Pangkalusugan" yesterday.

Dorion informed all workers in the barangay health centers  here in the province to inform the local officials especially the barangay captains that free flu vaccine is available to the indigent senior citizens since according to the Department of Health (DOH) report, they are one of the most vulnerable age groups affected by influenza and pneumonia.

With the continuous rainy season and cold weather conditions now being felt here in the province, the provincial government and the DOH have joined forces and focused most of their health priorities to children and the old people who seem to have been most of the age groups confined in hospitals due to flu, fever and colds that if not properly treated or given early prevention like vaccination could lead to a more serious health problem.

Dorion said that those indigent SCs are most prone to this kind of sickness due also to low immune disease diffeciency as most are not well attended at homes and most also lack the proper nutrition and diet due to financial conditions.

She also explained that even some of these SCs still work, others are left to take care of some young family members left at home particularly if other members in the family are also at work.  

“Let us not forget that these SCs have their health rights to be attended to by their families and government as most of them also before have been part of the productive mainstream society, ”Dorion explained.

“Most have somehow have contributed also to their communities but because of financial constraints, mostly can not avail of the cost of medicines, particularly vaccines or are not given priority by some members of the household, she said.

“Today, the Code White program implementation of the DOH as a mitigating health strategy and as part of the disaster risk reduction management mechanism has seen to it that health is one of the priority concern provided early intervention so that mitigation for health concerns be addressed,” Dorion concluded. (PIA-SORSOGON)