Davao City opens free community-based rehab center for stroke patients in Tibungco

Stroke survivors in Davao City can now get free rehabilitation services at a new Community-Based Physical Rehabilitation Center in Tibungco, set up by the City Health Office (CHO) in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH), according to Edge Davao.

The facility, said to be the first of its kind in the region, is meant to bring post-stroke care closer to communities. Its services aim to help patients regain mobility and improve their quality of life, while also supporting the family members who look after them at home.

Services include free individual assessment, a structured and individualized rehabilitation plan, a holistic care plan and a home care plan. Patients' progress will be monitored through home visits and community participation, with help from barangay health workers, district health office staff, social workers and other personnel.

CHO acting head Dr. Marge R. Rubio said a key goal is to train caregivers in home care and exercises that can help patients recover sooner. She said physical therapists will teach family members these exercises as part of the center's capacity-building work, noting that primary caregivers play a big role in recovery.

Patients who want to use the services must first be assessed by a physiatrist via teleconference to determine their condition and the right treatment plan, Rubio said. The center currently has three physical therapists, two from the CHO and one from the DOH, who conduct house-to-house visits and refer patients to rehabilitation medicine doctors, who then prepare treatment plans.

Rubio advised families of stroke patients to have the caregiver visit the facility first for guidance, since community-based physical therapists can carry out the initial assessment. Residents may also coordinate with their barangay health workers or district health offices for assessment and referral to the Tibungco center.

Rubio said the Tibungco site is a pilot, and the CHO plans to expand the program to strategic locations across the city once an ordinance institutionalizing it is passed.