Rome (Fides Service) - The Philippines is one of the world’s poorest countries. This country has no national health service and people who fall ill are condemned. Because of poverty which affects most of the people, every year thousands of people die from quite ordinary diseases for which they cannot afford treatment or medicine. It is one of the places where the majority dies of hunger and healthcare is a privilege of a few, most people face problems every day connected with poverty, precarious living conditions, almost non existence of homes with sanitation, malnutrition, which promote diseases linked with the tropical climate. For most of them death is very often the direct consequence of not receiving proper care.
One emblematic example is TB, eradicated in many countries thanks to vaccine, the it is the third cause of death in the Philippines. At least 8% of the people have TB in its evolution stage. Typhoon victims make better news but many more who die in silence from TB could be easily saved. The cost of treatment for an adult is 16,00 Euro a month. For a child a six month cycle of treatment costs 66,00 Euro. The average monthly cost per patient is 11,00 Euro.
Through AFMAL the St John of God Brothers in Italy have created a programme to develop and increase receptivity at the Centre for children with brain damage in BAHAY SAN RAFAEL Amadeo area (Cavite), and to promote education for children with hearing deficiency problems in a populous district of Quiapo in Manila at the Granada Education Foundation Inc. (AP) (1/6/2004 Agenzia Fides; Righe:29; Parole:349)