‘Give Filipinos better access to quality healthcare’

MANILA, Philippines — In line with his commitment to help establish more public health facilities especially for the poor, Sen. Bong Go personally attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Nabunturan Super Health Center in Davao de Oro on Dec. 22.

The senator was instrumental in pushing for the allocation of budget for Super Health Centers (SHCs) nationwide.

In his speech, Go, who heads the Senate committee on health and demography, expressed his confidence that through the SHCs, the government would be able to provide basic health services to more Filipinos in need, particularly those in remote areas.

“With the help of my colleagues from the Senate and Congress, together with Congressman (Ruwel Peter) Gonzaga, this Super Health Center has been established. What’s this Super Health Center? It’s a medium type of a polyclinic, bigger than a rural health unit but smaller than a hospital,” Go said in Filipino.

“In my visits to fourth class or even fifth class municipalities, I noticed the absence of rural health units or health centers. Some pregnant women had their babies delivered right inside tricycles while making their long trip to the hospital. But now, you have your own Super Health Center placed at a strategic area by the DOH (Department of Health). Eventually, this will be turned over and managed by the local government unit. This Super Health Center will be yours – and you can have it improved,” he added.

Go earlier cited the allocation of funds under the 2022 Health Facilities Enhancement Program for the construction of 307 SHCs nationwide. He has also successfully pushed for more SHCs to be funded under the 2023 national budget.

SHCs offer health services including database management, out-patient, birthing, isolation, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory, x-ray, ultrasound), pharmacy and ambulatory surgical unit.

Other available services are eye, ear, nose, and throat (EENT) service, oncology centers, physical therapy and rehabilitation center and telemedicine for remote diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Citing how the pandemic has caught the country’s health sector off-guard, Go supported the construction of three other SHCs in the province.

Meanwhile, the senator also encouraged those in need of medical assistance to seek the services of the Malasakit Centers located at Compostela Valley Provincial Hospital branches in Laak, Montevista, Maragusan and Pantukan; and the Davao Regional Medical Center in Tagum City.

A brainchild of Go, the Malasakit Centers program provides one-stop shops where concerned agencies, such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Philippine Health Insurance Corp. and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, are brought under one roof to ensure that medical assistance programs are more conveniently within the reach of poor and indigent Filipinos.

The program was institutionalized under the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which Go principally authored and sponsored. To date, there are 153 centers that have benefitted millions of Filipinos nationwide.

Following the groundbreaking, Go and his team proceeded to personally assist 500 indigents at Barangay Manat covered court where they gave away grocery packs, masks, vitamins, shirts and snacks.

The senator likewise provided bicycles, cellular phones, shoes, watches, umbrellas and balls for basketball and volleyball to select individuals.

“I am Visayan from Davao. My parents are from Davao Oriental that’s why I sometimes pass through Tagum City because we’re neighbors,” Go said in Filipino.

As part of his commitment to help in the progress of Nabunturan, Go, who is also vice chair of the Senate committee on finance, supported the construction of a provincial sports complex in Barangay Cabidanan. He likewise supported the rehabilitation of roads and installation of streetlights in various areas.

“We live only once in this world so if we’re given opportunity to do good, we should not hesitate to do it because there’s no way we can go back to this world if time comes for us to leave it. That’s the truth,” he said.

“I’m your kuya Bong and together with other officials here, I will continue to serve you because I believe that service to people is service to God,” he said.