SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, congratulated the local government of Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay, for successfully groundbreaking its Super Health Center in Barangay Makilas on Wednesday, February 14, as part of his efforts to help more struggling Filipinos access medical services for their healthcare needs.
Local government officials, such as Mayor Amy Olegario and barangay leaders were all in attendance to witness the event.
In his video message, Go maintained that establishing Super Health Centers across the country, particularly in the countryside areas, can significantly improve the delivery of public health services at the grassroots, citing that these centers aim 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,” cited Go.
“Tutulong ako sa kapwa ko Pilipino sa abot ng aking makakaya dahil bisyo ko ang magserbisyo sa inyong lahat,” Go added who is known as Mr. Malasakit for his compassion and service especially for the poor.
In the province, Go, together with the collective efforts of fellow lawmakers, local government units, and the DOH, has allocated sufficient funds for eight Super Health Centers. In total, 307 Super Health Centers in 2022, 322 in 2023, and 132 in 2024 were funded by the government nationwide. As the lead implementing agency, DOH, led by Secretary Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa, identifies the strategic locations for establishing such centers.
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 (EENT) service, oncology centers, physical therapy and rehabilitation centers, and telemedicine.
In addition to establishing Super Health Centers, the senator has reiterated his support for advancing two key legislative initiatives to enhance the nation’s readiness for public health crises.
Considering how the pandemic became an eye-opener for the government to strengthen its healthcare system, Go has resubmitted proposals for creating both the Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines (VIP) and the Philippine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The proposed CDC aims to become the primary institution for crafting strategies to control and prevent communicable diseases, focusing on halting the introduction and proliferation of infectious diseases within the country. Its core responsibilities would encompass the development of policies and standards, conducting disease surveillance and detection, gathering and analyzing data, disseminating public health information, and synthesizing research and evidence.
On the other hand, the VIP is designed to act as the nation’s leading laboratory for virology studies, offering laboratory investigations, research, and technical oversight across the country’s network of virology labs. The legislation would set out directives for establishing and managing testing, reference, and biosafety Levels 1 through 4 research laboratories nationwide.
“Laging handa dapat tayo para hindi tayo mabigla. Alalahanin natin na hindi naman natin masabi kung ito na ba ang huling pandemya na darating sa buhay natin. Mas mabuti na handa tayo. Mas mabuti nga makagawa tayo ng sarili nating bakuna para hindi tayo umaasa sa ibang bansa,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Go also encouraged the public to utilize the Malasakit Center located at Dr. George T. Hofer Medical Center in the town to help lower their medical expenses.
Institutionalized under Republic Act No. 11463, which Go principally sponsored and authored, the Malasakit Centers Act has established 159 Malasakit Centers and helped around ten million Filipinos nationwide.
