From Yolanda’s ruins to the future of health care

The Department of Health’s slogan, “Sa Bagong Pilipinas, Bawat Buhay Mahalaga” (“In the New Philippines, Every Life Matters”), echoes a timeless constitutional principle that the state should actively protect and promote the well-being of every citizen.

Far too often, everywhere in the world, provincial health networks battle resource deficits, medical staffing bottlenecks and geographical isolation – realities that leave vulnerable populations facing prohibitive travel costs and delayed treatment.

On Sept. 25, I joined President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Health Secretary Dr. Edwin Mercado and local officials of Eastern Samar and Guiuan for the President’s inspection of the newly reconstructed Felipe Abrigo Memorial Hospital (FAMH).

It was a momentous event, representing a decade-long aspiration fulfilled – a fine example of what collective determination can accomplish.

The hospital was among the key structures destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November 2013. For over a decade, as the people in the area made do with temporary facilities, the local and national governments – partnered with the Republic of Korea via the Korea International Cooperation Agency or KOICA – worked to rebuild the hospital.

Yesterday, the hospital was finally opened to the public.

After inspecting FAMH, President Marcos captured the heart of this milestone by reflecting on how a vital institution had truly “risen from the ruins” of Yolanda’s destruction.

That accomplishment owes much to steadfast local champions: the provincial leadership of Eastern Samar and dedicated frontline medical workers, as well as Education Secretary Sonny Angara, who helped facilitate P200 million in funding for the hospital while he was a senator, to augment the $8.76-million KOICA grant.

The reconstruction of FAMH honors a deep bond of solidarity that goes back to the Korean War, when 7,420 Filipino soldiers served in Korea alongside the forces of other United Nations member-states. Decades later, Korean service members returned the favor: in the aftermath of Yolanda, more than 500 members of the Araw Contingent were deployed to the Philippines for a year, providing medical services and helping rebuild schools, hospitals and other facilities in typhoon-hit areas.

Our bilateral partnership has outgrown traditional emergency aid. Today, cooperation is increasingly centering on institution-building, human capital development and the targeted deployment of high-impact technology.

The FAMH project illustrates this well. Its Korean-supported component has gone beyond construction and equipment to include training and capacity building. Alongside the physical reconstruction of the hospital, extensive efforts were made to elevate the quality of local health care services. In October 2025, Eastern Samar officials and health leaders traveled to Seoul for a specialized program, with Hyundai Asan and the Ewha Womans University partnering in training activities at Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital, covering hospital management, public health care and patient care. Furthermore, Korean doctors from Ewha Womans University Medical Center (EUMC) and Dankook University Hospital, collaborating with medical professionals from local tertiary hospitals, provided targeted training to 888 local doctors, nurses and other health care personnel – sharing specialized medical knowledge and clinical expertise specifically tailored to local conditions. These combined initiatives have laid a resilient foundation for the rebuilt facility to continue providing high-quality health care services well into the future.

FAMH is expected to serve around 160,000 residents of Guiuan and nearby communities, including those in the island barangays of Manicani, Tubabao, Victory, Suluan and Homonhon. For people living far from major hospitals, bringing emergency, maternal and other essential services closer can reduce both the time and cost of seeking care.

Through KOICA, Korea is also supporting the Department of Health’s efforts to strengthen selected Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Services (BUCAS) centers, including work to strengthen urgent outpatient capacity and diagnostic systems. In the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Korea is advancing primary health care toward universal coverage, while its $13-million BRIGHT-BARMM project with the International Organization for Migration focuses on strengthening health systems and services for vulnerable communities.

Digital health is another emerging area of cooperation. At the REMEDI TB Leadership Forum in Manila on Sept. 3, discussion of Korean-developed portable X-ray technology highlighted an important element in the partnership: cutting-edge medical technology delivers real value when it seamlessly integrates into community-level primary care. The DOH has already issued national guidelines on the use of ultraportable chest X-ray for tuberculosis screening, under Department Circular No. 2025-0048, dated Dec. 16, 2025.

For an archipelagic country, physical infrastructure will always be essential, but it cannot by itself overcome distance. Digital tools, portable diagnostics, better health information systems and appropriate applications of artificial intelligence could help extend the reach of doctors and health workers for the benefit of people in remote places.

FAMH offers an enduring testament to our nations’ long-standing friendship. Yolanda-ravaged areas in the Philippines gave Korean service members an opportunity to return the solidarity and camaraderie shown by Filipinos during the Korean War.

In this new war – the battle for public health – the true victor is the public itself. And this is where Korea-Philippine cooperation truly matters.

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Lee Dong-gy is the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Philippines.