Delivering Quality Healthcare On Wheels

Wazzup Pilipinas!

While relief goods and medication are being transported to the victims of typhoon Yolanda, ten doctors in some of the country’s remote communities are bicycling their medical assistance to Filipino patients who do not have access to immediate healthcare even during fair weathers.

On the heels of the typhoon’s onslaught last November 2013, Primer Group of Companies—a company known for engaging in the retail and distribution of premium consumer brands in outdoor, fashion, wellness, and urban lifestyle—has dedicated itself to heeding the calls of vulnerable Filipinos through the C.O.R.E.’s Heroes on Wheels.

The C.O.R.E. is the advocacy arm of Primer Group which aims to convert the masses to heed the calls of environmental conservation, ecotourism, and community development.

In partnership with the Department of Health’s Doctors to the Barrios (DTTBs), the C.O.R.E. created its Heroes on Wheels program to strengthen the support networks of communities in times of need with the use of proper outdoor equipment.

According to Tin Villaflor, C.O.R.E. Program Officer, the Heroes on Wheels program provides its beneficiaries with the appropriate outdoor gear and transportation mechanism to immediately reach inaccessible areas.
This time, ten bikes were distributed to ten esteemed local community doctors.

“These healthcare providers are given the right gear and bike equipment that can withstand the worst terrain in hard-to-reach areas,” Villaflor said. “They are the first of many possible recipients of the program.”

The DTTBs are the medical assistance personnel deployed to different communities where access to optimum healthcare is scant. Their support includes the distribution of free medicines, medical supplies and apparatus to different municipalities.

“Choosing the DTTBs for this year’s Heroes on Wheels program is one of the most fulfilling missions we ventured in to,” Villaflor said. “As they continue to provide healthcare assistance to their patients in far-flung areas, we aim to help them in their own mission: to extend primary health services and preventive medical care to Filipinos.”

Beneficiaries of the said project are Kathleen Corpuz (Mindoro), Rommel Gonzales (Iloilo), Christine Vigonte (Camarines Norte), Reno EufemonCereno (Nueva Ecija), Enrick Joshua Cruz (Romblon), Dan Jared Masiddo (Marinduque), Marvin Masalunga and Joel Cabanas (Palawan), Ralph Julius Mendoza and David Diciano, Jr. (Batanes).

To further strengthen this cause, Villaflor said that C.O.R.E. partnered with Kaprimer on their Project: Typhoon Yolanda to raise more funds. In addition, Primer Group distributed bags and T-shirts from Columbia and Mountain Hardwear to better equip them during their operations.

“There are still parts in the country where assistance, may it be educational, medical, or security, is considered as a dream,” Villaflor emphasized. 

She concluded, “This is the reason why we are targeting their barangay chairmen, teachers, the police, or people organization’s leaders. We hope to give light to these far-flung communities and give them the advantage to live life to its fullest starting with their own community leaders.”

To know more about C.O.R.E., please visit http://www.primergrp.com/csr_core.html.