Addressing the urgent need to increase basic health services in places that need them the most, Dr. Moopen’s Foundation (DM Foundation), the non-profit arm of Aster DM Healthcare, introduces an advanced mobile clinic.
Dubbed the Dr. Aster Mobile, the well-equipped vehicle will travel across the country to offer free primary medical care, wherever it is needed, and it will also be used for industrial check-ups. It’s built with all the facilities needed to provide diagnostic, laboratory, x-ray, medical check-ups, specialists’ consultation, and first aid treatment. The mobile clinic will also be fully staffed by a doctor, nurse, radiographer, and medical technologist.
According to Joyce Socao-Alumno, country representative for Dr. Moopen’s Foundation, Dr. Aster Mobile can be compared to a small clinic, equipped with state-of-the-art medical features. For example, while a typical mobile van can only accommodate chest x-ray, Dr. Aster Mobile houses an x-ray machine that can do all types of images. It also has its own laboratory with its own hemolyzer and microscope. What’s more, the vehicle has ECG and ultrasound machine, as well as its own emergency stretcher bed.
While its features are similar to the ones successfully rolled out in other countries, the Philippine version of the vehicle has been customized to fit the kind of roads in the country. Dr. Aster Mobile is built to provide comfort and convenience to patients—it has an air conditioning unit strategically placed at the roof of the mobile as well as its own pull-able stage with canopy. Anticipating areas where there is no electricity, the van is also equipped with its own generator.
