By Javier Joe Ismael and Jerry M. Hernandez
July 4, 2023
SEN. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, personally attended the groundbreaking of the Super Health Center (SHC) in Hagonoy, Davao del Sur on Saturday, July 1.
Coinciding with the 70th Araw ng Hagonoy celebration, the event provided an opportunity for Go to greet the people of Hagonoy, emphasizing his dedication to assisting those in need.
The establishment of SHCs is one of Go's initiatives, done in collaboration with the Department of Health (DoH). It is aimed at strengthening the health care system, particularly access to basic medical services in remote areas.
Go consistently advocated for the establishment of these health care facilities, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that more Filipinos have access to affordable health care.
Super Health Centers will offer basic health services, including database management, outpatient, birthing, isolation, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: X-ray, ultrasound), pharmacy, and ambulatory surgical unit.
Other available services are eye, ear, nose, and throat (EENT) service; oncology centers; physical therapy and rehabilitation center; and telemedicine, where remote diagnosis and treatment of patients will be done.
Through the collective efforts of fellow lawmakers, sufficient funds have been allocated for 307 SHCs in 2022 and 322 in 2023. The DoH, the lead implementing agency, identifies the strategic areas where they will be built.
In Davao del Sur, SHCs will be strategically located in Digos City, Matanao, and Kiblawan, aside from the one in Hagonoy.
Before the groundbreaking, Go and his staff distributed grocery packs, vitamins, masks, shirts, and snacks to 1,000 struggling residents. The senator likewise gave away shoes, bicycles, cellular phones, watches, and balls for basketball and volleyball to select beneficiaries.
Moreover, personnel from the Department of Social Welfare and Development extended financial aid to struggling residents in the town through its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program.
Novo Ecijanos' turn to have SHCs
In a related development, Novo Ecijanos will also enjoy the benefits of the government's health services as the DoH establishes 10 SHCs in the province. This was announced by DoH Nueva Ecija Development Management Officer 4 Clesther Jose Espinosa during the latest episode of the Philippine Information Agency's "Leaders In Focus" media program.
Espinosa said these projects, currently being built in strategic locations in Nueva Ecija, are part of the General Appropriations Acts of 2022 and 2023. They will ensure health services to 849 barangay (villages) in the towns of Santo Domingo, Rizal, San Leonardo, Laur, Carranglan, Zaragoza, Llanera, and Bongabon and the cities of Cabanatuan and Muñoz.
The DoH has set the completion targets for the 10 SHCs, also called Primary Care Facilities, at the end of this year. They will feature a 6-in-1 package of health services including clinical laboratory, diagnostic and radiologic services, pharmacy, birthing services, dental services, and ambulance services. Some P10 million have been allotted for each facility, with an additional P2 million for medical equipment.
The local government, Espinosa added, will shoulder the identification and provision of lots for the facility, acquisition of other additional equipment, and hiring of personnel. Aside from SHC, the DoH is also helping strengthen barangay or rural health unit facilities, including the deployment of doctors, nurses, and midwives who will attend to the resident's medical needs.
At present, a molecular laboratory is being built at the San Jose City General Hospital. This is similar to those in Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center (PJGMRMC) and Manuel V. Gallego Cabanatuan City General Hospital. The PJGMRMC is a recipient of the Service Delivery Network that designates it as a Regional Heart Center in response to rising cases of cardiovascular diseases.
