Senator Christopher “Bong” Go lauded the local government of Lopez, Quezon province, and the Department of Health for successfully holding the groundbreaking for the town’s Super Health Center on Thursday, 9 March.
In his video message, Go said that having Super Health Centers nationwide, especially in rural areas, can significantly improve the delivery of public health services in the grassroots, citing that these centers are aimed to bring the government closer to Filipinos.
“Isinulong ko po talaga ang pagpapatayo ng mga Super Health Centers sa buong Pilipinas dahil alam ko po kung gaano ninyo kailangan na mapalapit sa inyo ang serbisyong medikal ng gobyerno,” said Go.
“’Yung mga nasa probinsya po, lalo na ‘yung mga nasa liblib na lugar, ‘yun po ang target na tayuan ng mga Super Health Centers. Para po masiguro na hindi na po nila kailangan lumayo at gumastos ng malaki para lang makapagpaospital,” he added.
The senator, who serves as the head of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said that it is his priority to strengthen health care especially in the grassroots. Through Go’s efforts and with the support of lawmakers, sufficient funds had been allocated for the construction of 307 Super Health Centers in 2022, and 322 in 2023.
The Super Health Center is an improved version of the rural health unit. It offers health services including database management, out-patient, birthing, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: x-ray and ultrasound), pharmacy and ambulatory surgical unit.
Other available services are eye, ear, nose and throat service; oncology centers; physical therapy and rehabilitation center; and telemedicine, where remote diagnosis and treatment of patients will be done.
“Sana ay tuluy-tuloy pa ang pagtatayo ng mga ito (SHCs) upang hindi na kailanganin pa ng ating mga kababayan na maglakbay para lamang makapag-avail ng serbisyong medikal na kailangan nila,” Go shared.
“Sikapin natin ilapit sa kanila ang serbisyong kailangan ng taumbayan lalo na pagdating sa kalusugan,” he stressed.
Aside from Lopez, Super Health Centers in the province are planned to be strategically located in Agdangan, Alabat, Atimonan, Candelaria, Dolores, Gumaca, Infanta, Mauban, Quezon, Tagkawayan, Tiaong, Catanauan and Perez.
While the establishment of Super Health Centers aims to provide convenient access to basic medical services in communities, the Malasakit Centers, which Go had also earlier initiated, continue to provide easy access to medical assistance, particularly for poor and indigent patients nationwide.
Principally authored and sponsored by Go, Republic Act No. 11463 mandates the establishment of Malasakit Centers in hospitals administered or managed by the DOH, and in the Philippine General Hospital. Hospitals run by local government units and other public hospitals may also establish their own Malasakit Center provided they meet a standard set of criteria to guarantee the sustainability of the center’s operations.
“For five years, the Malasakit Center, which serves as a one-stop shop for medical assistance programs, has been instrumental in helping millions of Filipinos with its 156 operational centers nationwide,” he cited.
Malasakit Centers in the province are located at Quezon Medical Center in Lucena City and at Maria L. Eleazar General Hospital in Tagkawayan.
To aid in the economic development of the province, Go, who is an adopted son of CALABARZON and Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, earlier extended support for the rehabilitation of the Old Quezon Capitol building; and the rehabilitation of the Quezon Eco Tourism Road in Lucena City. He likewise supported other infrastructure initiatives, including the slope protection along Dumacaa and Iyam rivers; and a multipurpose building inside Lucena City General Hospital.
“Mga kababayan ko, bukas po lagi ang aking tanggapan at handa po akong magserbisyo sa inyo sa abot ng aking makakaya. Magtulungan lang po tayo, magbayanihan at magmalasakit po tayo sa ating kapwa Pilipino,” he ended.