The Marie Stopes International Clinic and the Bairo-Pite Clinic provided medical consultations to the general public in Dare in Dili district, through door to door visits to the community. 
Marie Stopes Clinic Coordinator Fernanda Maria Serra said they chose Dare as the Integrated Community Health Work Program (SISCA) was run in this village but many residents found it difficult to access health assistance as they live far away.
“We decided to help people here by providing them with free treatment as we seldom come to this village, so it’s hard for them to get access to health assistance,” said Coordinator Serra in Dare, Dili.
She said the consultations were also to commemorate Popular Consultation Day held every year on August 30.
Meanwhile, Kulau II Village Chief Abel Bareto said he appreciated the visit from Marie Stopes and Bairo-Pite Clinic, as they hadn’t had access to health assistance for three years.
He acknowledged the SISCA program was run in the village but said it was hard for people in isolated villages to get access, and it was impossible for pregnant women to walk on foot for five kilometres to get to the SISCA post.
“I think it’s good for them to keep doing this, as it can provide treatment to people in the community that need help,” Bareto said.
He also asked Marie Stopes to cooperate with the health centre to provide routine medical consultations every week for communities in isolated areas like Kulau II, as the community need information and health assistance.
In response to this, Marie Stopes Clinic Coordinator Fernanda Serra said they were ready to provide routine consultations but it depended on the village chiefs, as they had held general consultations in Dare three times.
On the other hand, patient Joaquina de Araújo asked that the SISCA program not be concentrated in one place, as some people live far away from the village and it’s hard for them to access health treatment.
“Until now the SISCA program does run here but only in the village office, they don’t come to us, so we can’t access treatment as it’s more than five kilometres away on foot,” she said.
Based on the treatment list, they were able to provide treatment to 174 patients, including children and people with disabilities.
Diseases registered in the half day consultation included respiratory disease, diarrhoea, coughing and skin problems, and they also immunized children and gave vitamin A to children under five years old with worms.
