SOME 30 percent to 40 percent of the Philippine population is estimated to be below the poverty threshold. The high population growth rate presents a serious challenge to the delivery of health services.

Inequalities in health access between the urban and the rural areas and between the poor and the rich persist. The infant mortality rate, although declining, is still high compared with that of other Asian countries. The burden of both communicable and noncommunicable diseases hinders the country’s social and economic development.

With this, the Philippine National RedCross (PNRC)and the SM Foundation partner for ‘Gamot Para sa Kapwa (GPSK) 2009’ to continue their commitment to reach out to the marginalized sector of our society.

The launching of GPSK 2009 was held at SM City North Edsa City Center in Quezon City, with other partner agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Watsons and the PNRC in attendance.

GPSK 2009 is a donation campaign for the less fortunate where SM shoppers can extend help by donating their unopened and unexpired medicines at the GPSK booths in participating SM Malls.

‘Gamot Para sa Kapwa’ provides comprehensive medical and dental missions to indigent families in remote and disaster-stricken areas,’ said the PNRCchairman, Sen. Richard Gordon.

It was in 2007 when PNRC joined GPSK and, for the past two years, almost P500,000 cash donations were solicited for the PNRChealth missions.

Through the membership drive in SM Malls, the PNRC was able to raise almost PI million. Abut 50,000 individuals, mostly underprivileged, availed themselves offree blood-pressure check and blood typing from the PNRC.

Meanwhile, PNRC Secretary-General Gwendolyn Pang extended her deepest appreciation to the efforts of the SM Foundation for this project and testified to the benefits of this project to the PNRC.

‘With the unwavering support of SM Foundation and the generosity of individual and corporate donors of  ‘Gamot Para sa Kapwa’ more medical missions during disasters and health emergencies were brought to the communities that need them most,’ said Pang.

‘We will assure you that the PNRC will distribute the donated medicines to our 96 chapters nationwide to make our health services more accessible to indigent members of our society,’ she added.