Acknowledging the demand for specialized inpatient and outpatient hospital services, Senate Committee Chair on Health and Demography Sen. Bong Go reiterated his call to bring quality health services to more rural communities.
He pointed out many Filipinos in far-flung areas with health concerns have to travel to urbanized cities for treatment.
“Saksi ako sa nakakalungkot na sitwasyon ng ating mga kababayang may karamdaman sa tuwing nag-iikot ako sa iba’t ibang parte ng ating bansa upang mamahagi ng tulong sa kanila. Sa aking ginagawang pagbisita, hinihikayat ko ang mga maysakit na huwag mag-atubiling lumapit sa aming mga lingkod bayan upang matulungan sila at madala sa mga ospital sa Metro Manila,” said Go.
“Batid ko na ang ugat ng problema ay ang kawalan natin ng specialty hospitals, gaya ng Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, at National Kidney and Transplant Institute, sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa. Ang mga ospital na ito ay ilan sa pinakamagagaling na ospital sa bansa. Ngunit sa kabila nito, napakalayo ng kanilang mga serbisyo sa karaniwang mga Pilipino lalo na sa mga taga-probinsya.”
According to the Department of Health, a specialty hospital is a facility that focuses on a particular disease or condition or in one type of patient.
A specialized hospital is dedicated to treating a particular type of illness requiring a range of treatments or diseases of a particular organ or group of organs.
Go reiterated his support for President Bongbong Marcos’ call to establish more specialty hospitals or centers outside Metro Manila.
The creation of these health facilities, said Go, is one of the optimal solutions to address the gaps in healthcare across the country.
“Specialty hospital o specialty center man, sa pagkakaroon ng dagdag na access ng ating mga kababayan sa mga serbisyo ng mga espesyalista, hindi na mahihirapan ang mga Pilipino kahit nasaan man silang sulok ng bansa dahil mas mapapalapit sa kanila ang mga ito. Hindi na nila kailangang lumuwas pa ng Maynila para lamang magpagamot sa puso, baga, o bato,’ Go explained.
A strengthened healthcare system, he said, could also significantly help in the country’s economic recovery: Tandaan natin na nasa yugto tayo ng pag-ahon ng ating ekonomiya—mga nawalang kabuhayan at trabaho—dulot ng pandemya.”
Go has been consistently pushing for the establishment of more Super Health Centers and Malasakit Centers nationwide, highlighting how these centers have been helping millions of poor Filipinos.
The Malasakit Centers are one-stop shops where patients can conveniently avail medical assistance programs offered by the government.
Go is the principal author and sponsor of the Malasakit Centers Act. There are now 152 such centers nationwide.
Super Health Centers are medium versions of polyclinics and are bigger than rural health units, which offer basic services such as out-patient, birthing, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: x-ray, ultrasound), pharmacy, and ambulatory surgical unit, among others.