President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday stressed that the country is now reaping the fruits of those envisioned by his father and namesake former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
This, as the President attended the 40th founding anniversary of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, which was established through Presidential Decree 1832 by then-President Marcos Sr. in 1981.
In his speech before the officials and staff of the NKTI, Marcos said that providing adequate and responsive healthcare services was envisioned by his father, hence, he ordered the creation of the tertiary medical specialty center.
“That was what my father — President Ferdinand E. Marcos — envisioned when he created the National Kidney Foundation of the Philippines, which began operations in 1983, and has since grown into a world-class specialized institution that is at the forefront of our battle against kidney disease,” said the President.
“He and his administration saw the importance of building an institution that is dedicated to renal healthcare and management, as well as the necessity of having a lead center for renal care and organ transplantation,” he added.
“Now, we are reaping the fruits of their foresight and investments in our fight to uplift the conditions of Filipinos with kidney-related diseases,” Marcos said.
The President also stressed that he is “proud” to witness the evolution of the NKTI since its inception in 1983.
“From its humble beginnings as a 2-ward 50-bed facility, the NKTI has now grown into a 5-building complex with 383 beds, providing around-the-clock emergency services and state-of-the-art medical care,” Marcos said.
Likewise, the President lauded the achievements obtained by the specialty hospitals.
“It’s also very gratifying to see that the NKTI has become a center of innovation and excellence in various diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, complemented with world-class facilities, and competent and hardworking personnel who sacrifice much to serve many Filipinos,” said the President.