PH GOV'T TO NOW GIVE FREE CT SCAN, MRI TO PRO BOXERS

DAVAO CITY – The much-awaited 3rd Philippine Boxing Convention of the Games and Amusements Board started with a big bang yesterday with the announcement that the mandatory medical check-up including the CT (Computed Tomography) scan or brain scanning and the MRI or Magnetic Resonance Imaging will now be free to all professional boxers.
Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial announced that boxers will no longer have to go to Manila for the check-ups and will just have to go to their respective regional hospitals in their area for free.
Ubial’s surprise announcement earned a huge applause from the participants of the annual three-day convention participated by the country’s stakeholders in professional boxing.
“This is very good news in boxing because this is what the stakeholders have long been asking for,” said GAB Chairman Abraham Kahlil “Baham” Mitra.
The GAB formally made the request to make the medical test free for professional boxers during a meeting with the DOH after conducting several dialogues with the stakeholders in the country.
Usually a computed tomography (CT) scan is mandatory required by the GAB for the boxers before their fight. A manager pays P5,000 or less for every CT scan in a hospital while an MRI is worth three times than the CT scan.
The high cost of MRI and CT scan is one of the problems tackled during the recent dialogue by the GAB with the Mindanao stakeholders held in Davao City.
“The Department of Health expresses its solidarity with you as you bring together the boxing aficionados and stakeholders from all over the country as part of your continuing efforts to develop and uplift the interest in the sport of professional boxing in the Philippines,” said Ubial, a former DOH XI regional director.
Ubial said that “DOH is also likewise committed to rise the challenges that President Rodrigo Duterte has enunciated when he assumed his presidency: the war against illegal drugs, against corruption and criminality, the war against poverty and ill-health.”
Ubial said that DOH will reach its goals through the strategy called ACHIEVE which means A for advancing primary care and quality; C for covering all Filipinos against financial catastrophe; H for harnessing health human resources; I for investing in digital health and data for decision-making; E for enforcing standards, accountability, and transparency; V for value clients and patients, most especially those that are poor and vulnerable; and E is for elicit multi-sector and multi-stakeholders support for health.
Ubial, who regularly runs to maintain her health, believes that “health is everybody’s concern; not just the government but the whole of society.”
She shared DOH’ s vision of “All for Health towards Health for All”.
Ubial also quoted 8-division world champion Sen. Manny Pacquiao, who said “Life is meant to be a challenge, because challenges are what make you grow.”
Mitra, on the other hand, gave the updates of the GAB programs and activities before the official weigh-in of the boxers seeing action in the 13 bouts of the Davao Boxing Showdown presentation slated today (May 12) at 2 p.m. at the Waterfront Insular Hotel Pavilion in Lanang. (See separate story.)
The other topics tackled yesterday were on the “Dehydration” by Dr. Radentor Viernes and Dr Jose Rolando Rivera; “Legal Updates on the Rules and Regulations Governing Professional Boxing in the Philippines” by GAB Legal Division Chief Atty. Ermar Benitez; and “Sports Digital Marketing Resource” by Paolo Salud.
Also conducted was the monthly ratings of boxers for April; licensing of boxing promoters, managers, boxers, trainers, matchmakers, seconds, timekeepers and ring physician.
It was highlighted by a gala dinner with a cultural show and the presentation of the awards and citations. Invited were AKO BICOL Partylist Rep. Rodel Batocabe and Rep. Gus Tambunting, chairman of the Committee on Games and Amusements.
PBA Partylist Rep. Jericho Jonas Nograles will grace the 2nd day while the workshop on judging will be conducted by Hubert Hinn, chairman of WBC Ring Officials and the workshop on Refereeing by international referee Tony Weeks of Las Vegas, Nevada.
The distribution of certificates of attendance and closing dinner will be held on Saturday at Marco Polo Hotel.