PhilHealth’s Mindanao fun run to benefit Davao’s children cancer center

By Carina L Cayon

Sunday 5th of February 2012

DAVAO CITY, Feb. 05 (PIA) – The Mindanao-wide simultaneous fun run organized by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) today (Feb. 05) would benefit the Children’s Cancer Center and Blood Diseases Unit (CCCBDU) of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), this city.

The PhilHealth Run: The Mindanao Run for Hope kicked off early this morning in six key cities in Mindanao with around 18,000 runners from Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Koronadal, Marawi and Zamboanga.

Newly appointed PhilHealth president Dr. Eduardo P. Banzon said that the fun run aimed at providing financial assistance to its chosen recipient, the children cancer center facility of the largest government-ran hospital in the country.

Banzon said that 100 percent of the proceeds, estimated to net P4.5 million from the registration fees and major sponsors, will go to SPMC-CCCBDU.

He said that PhilHealth strived to pursue the charity activity after seeing the need to give support to the facility which lacked beds and the financial means to help families increase the survival rates of patients.

SPMC-CCCBDU pediatrician-oncologist Dr. Concepcion J. Dolendo said that despite the presence of the facility, the survival rate remains bleak due to reasons such as budgetary constraints, uneducated parents and the lack of access to a cancer facility.

Dolendo said the center has only 25 beds, a dismal number compared to the number of kids with cancer that need to be treated.

The SPMC-CCCBDU is said to be the only facility in Visayas and Mindanao that can deliver multi-disciplinary care for children with cancer, Banzon told the media in a press conference held yesterday (Feb. 04) at Marco Polo Hotel, Davao City.

From the participants’ registration fees at P250 for the 3K run, P300 for the 5K run, P500 for the 10K run and P600 for the 17K run, PhilHealth regional vice president Dennis Adre said the fun run was estimated to generate not less than P4.5 million.

Adre said that the charity activity is a kick-off event to PhilHealth’s 17^th anniversary celebration on February 14, which banners a theme: “Sa PhilHealth, Pinalawak na Benepisyo, Garantisado.” (PIA-11/Carina L. Cayon)