THE HOSPITAL ON WHEELS AND THE MOTORCYCLE CHARIOT AMBULANCES Dear Mr. President: The "Hospital on Wheels" (HOW) and the "Motorcycle Chariot Ambulances" (MCA) projects are indeed groundbreaking and highly impactful in addressing healthcare accessibility challenges. In essence, HOW brings healthcare services directly to the people, eliminating the need for individuals to travel to the hospitals. Their mission includes providing medical, surgical, dental, and optical services. They specifically target communities where healthcare services are inadequate and are greatly needed. During each HOW mission, they serve an average of 1,000 to 1,500 patients per day, with the following breakdown: - Medical cases: 400 per day - Surgical cases: 100 to 120 per day - Dental cases: 300 per day - Vision screening (including the provision of free reading glasses): 400 per day - Basic Life Support Training: 10–20 barangay staff/volunteers. HOW highlights its tremendous potential in providing essential medical services to underserved communities. By offering medical, surgical, dental, and optical care directly to those who need it most, HOW eliminates many of the traditional barriers to healthcare. The surgical component is especially impressive, as it addresses a critical need in municipalities where surgical services are unavailable. Performing major surgeries safely without the need for general anesthesia and allowing patients to go home on the same day, is a cost-effective and innovative approach. The inclusion of medical, dental, and vision services, along with life support training, enhances the comprehensive nature of these missions. These types of mobile medical units are a game-changer for public health, particularly in remote or underserved regions. Combining this with the MCA for rapid emergency response in congested areas or rough terrains further demonstrates the holistic thinking behind these projects. Together, they represent a powerful step towards equitable healthcare access in the country. Since its launch on September 17, 2007, in Quezon City, the HOW has conducted 411 missions across the country, mostly in Luzon, and has operated on more than 40,000 indigent patients with various surgical conditions. They conduct these missions on the weekends, 1 to 3 times a month, with an average of 2 missions per month. I personally know Dr. Jim Sanchez, the founder of both HOW and MCA. I have personally gone inside their “hospital bus”, which I think is an incredible invention in itself. Sanchez raises most of the funding himself, soliciting these from his friends and classmates from here and abroad. I believe that his wish is to have more of these wonderful buses and motorcycles, complete with the equipment inside of course, so that they could go to more places and help more patients. Mr. President, the good doctor said that they have already conducted missions in Visayas and Mindanao, because the buses can be loaded on RORO vessels. If there are companies out there that are looking for an automatic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, I recommend they they donate their money to HOW. Find them in Facebook. IKE SENERES/09-18-24