DPH preparing for regular visit to Man Amko centers

The Department of Public Health is now looking into the immediate implementation of the proposed on-site visit to Man Amko centers in the Northern Marianas to regularly check health and ailments of aging citizens.

In an interview with reporters yesterday, Health Secretary Kevin Villagomez disclosed programs are currently being mapped out following the same proposal recently made by Rep. William S. Torres, who urged DPH to hold routine check up for the elders of Aging Centers.

The routine check up would help in the monitoring of the senior citizens’ state of health and pave the road for early detection of possible health risks.

The health secretary said not only nurses and physicians will be tapped to oversee the program of medical visitation privileges but also physical therapists and nutritionists.

If the elders will be asked to visit the Commonwealth Health Center, it would be only for dental procedures and works necessary, he added.

In a letter to the secretary, Mr. Torres asked DPH to perform onsite visitation once a month to the Man Amko Centers on Saipan, Tinian and Rota and periodically check health risks and ailments of senior citizens on the three islands.

“We are humbly asking for your consideration to accord medical visitation privileges to Man Amko Centers to monitor their state of health and to maintain their longevity,” the representative said.

The legislator urged the health secretary to provide the senior citizens attention and ready hospital attendants, nurses and medical doctors if medical check-ups ad hospital appointments are requested.

Mr. Torres explained that due to old age, Man Amko members are prone to health problems and ailments that a monthly medical monitoring is necessary.

He said DPH can at least contribute a special day for the senior citizens or at least an hour a day will suffice for purposes of extending the courtesy attention during a trial period.

“This charitable gesture in periodically performing on-site visitation will contribute positively so that they continue to provide our generation much valued guidance and wisdom as we chart the direction of the Commonwealth into the millennium. This is the least we can do to let them enjoy the balance of their lives,” reads the letter.

The Man Amko Centers in the Commonwealth provide alternatives to aging citizens of the CNMI through sports and cultural programs to continuously improve their well-being despite old age.

By providing on-site visitation, the DPH will be able to monitor health problems and reduce travel and distance concerns.