Students in Kapalawanโs Langgongan Elementary School undergo vision screening as part of a BARMM health outreach to detect eye problems. (Image by John Unson)
COTABATO CITY, Philippines โ Kadil Sinolinding Jr., a member of the 80-seat Bangsamoro Parliament and health minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), led a community service mission that provided vision screening to students of Langgongan Elementary School in Barangay Langgongan, Kapalawan town, on Thursday.
The screening aimed to detect eyesight problems that may be affecting the academic performance of grade school pupils in the Bangsamoro Special Geographic Area (SGA) in Cotabato Province.
Medical personnel checked students for refractive errors and other vision conditions that could hinder their learning in the classroom. Children found to have eye problems will receive further medical care and assistance following the screening, organizers said.
The activity was carried out by the public service team of Sinolinding as part of his continuing outreach programs in communities within the SGA.
Local officials and teachers confirmed the humanitarian activity to reporters on Friday, including Kapalawan Vice Mayor Serafin Maguid, who said the outreach program forms part of Sinolindingโs public service efforts in the municipality.
Maguid said the office of Sinolinding also delivered more than 10 large boxes of medicines to the Kapalawan municipal government center on Monday, March 2, to support the healthcare programs of the townโs municipal health office.
โThe public service programs of Bangsamoro Health Minister Sinolinding and his staff at the Ministry of Health, as well as those in his office in the Bangsamoro Parliament, are a big help to the residents of Kapalawan,โ Maguid said. He also thanked BARMM Chief Minister Abdulrauf Macacua for supporting the initiative.
Sinolinding, an ophthalmologist who pursued advanced medical training in India, said the vision screening was conducted to determine whether pupils have refractive errors or other eye problems so they can receive immediate treatment.
Students diagnosed with eye conditions will be referred for further care through the joint efforts of Sinolindingโs office and the medical staff of Deseret Surgimed Hospital in Kabacan town.
The outreach activities are also supported by Emmylou Talino-Mendoza, the governor of Cotabato Province, along with the Bangsamoro regional government.
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