ILOILO – A “Super Health Center” worth P12 million will be constructed in Barangay Pasig, Lambunao town to bring medical services closer to the residents of local communities.
This center will offer a range of services including health and wellness care, birthing facilities, general check-ups, minor surgeries, early disease detection, dental services, laboratory tests, X-rays, and more, catering not only to Barangay Pasig but also to neighboring barangays.
This initiative eliminates the need for residents to visit the Rural Health Unit (RHU) of Lambunao once the health center becomes operational.
The Super Health Center will be managed by doctors and nurses from the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6 and RHU-Lambunao.
The groundbreaking ceremony was led by DOH Region 6 director Dr. Adriano Suba-an, Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, and Mayor Reynor Ganzales on Friday afternoon last week, March 22.
Funding for the construction of the Super Health Center was provided by Senator Go, who serves as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health.
According to Dr. Suba-an, P10 million was allocated for the construction of the building, with an additional P2 million for the purchase of equipment and facilities.
The Super Health Center is envisioned to be more than just a basic health facility in the barangay, offering a broader range of services compared to the limited services provided by traditional Barangay Health Stations.
Suba-an also mentioned that patients who cannot be accommodated by the Super Health Center could be referred to the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Mandurriao, Iloilo City, thanks to a memorandum of agreement on referrals signed by the Iloilo provincial government, local government of Lambunao, DOH Region 6, and WVMC.
The Super Health Center in Lambunao will be the 27th of its kind in the province of Iloilo.
Senator Go highlighted the importance of the Super Health Center for the residents, especially for those living in poverty in rural areas, as it will spare them the cost and effort of traveling to hospitals for check-ups.
He emphasized the government’s need to invest in health facilities and to be always prepared for emergencies, as evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caught everyone off guard and unprepared.
Following the groundbreaking ceremony, Senator Go attended an orientation for the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) Program by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) at the covered gym of Lambunao, where approximately 500 beneficiaries are slated to receive financial assistance through the initiative supported by the senator./PN
