Sen. Bong Go personally joined the groundbreaking of the Super Health Center in Glan, Sarangani on Wednesday, 5 October.
In his remarks, Go reaffirmed that he remains dedicated to creating and pushing for more programs and legislative measures that will focus on improving the delivery of public healthcare services in the country, especially in rural areas.
“Malaki talaga ang lugar ninyo dito sa Sarangani, malaki ang inyong rehiyon. Kulang talaga ang ating ospital sa ngayon. So (sa tulong ng Super Health Center), hindi na natin kailangan pa na bumyahe sa siyudad. Sabi ko, hihintayin pa (ba) natin ang pasyente na maisalba (sa malalaking ospital)? Ang importante, kung kaya na ng treatment sa Super Health Center, magagamot agad sila,” said Go in an ambush interview after the groundbreaking.
Go was instrumental in the allocation of funds for the construction of 307 Super Health Centers nationwide this year that will be strategically located in rural areas to ensure that the neediest sectors have the access to medical services.
Through Go’s efforts, the previous administration allocated funds under the 2022 Health Facilities Enhancement Program for the initial 307 Super Health Centers. As Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, he vowed to push for more funding for the 2023 budget to fund the construction of more SHCs in other parts of the country.
The said center will offer database management, out-patient, birthing, 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.
Previously, Department of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire expressed her confidence that the centers would significantly help reduce the rate of hospital occupancy, saying, “These Super Health Centers have equipment that can be found in hospitals so that we can unload (higher level) hospitals. We have started these Super Health Centers where basic tests that are often needed to be conducted in hospitals can be done here, without the need for people to go to higher level facilities.”