GOVERNMENT is looking at building “extensions” for hospitals, instead of building new specialty hospitals, to provide medical care to more Filipinos especially those in the provinces, President Marcos Jr. said yesterday.
The President, in an ambush interview after the groundbreaking of Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) housing projects in San Jose del Monte in Bulacan, said he promised during his first state of the nation address that the government will build specialty hospitals in the provinces which he said was very important during the COVID19 pandemic.
“Ang napagkasunduan namin, ay imbes na magtayo ng bago pang ospital ay mag-extension na lang iyung mga ibang ospital para mayroong specialty na ilang kama para talaga as a specialty hospital (we have agreed that instead of building new hospitals, we would put up extension of specialty hospitals to ensure that there will be beds similar to specialty hospitals),” he said.
Marcos said the government is identifying areas where the “extension” hospitals will be established while taking into consideration the country’s experience in dealing with pandemic-induced healthcare sector challenges.
He said the government is considering how the pandemic hit an area, what the difficulties were, location of patients, and remoteness of an area, among others.
Leading groundbreaking rites for the St. Bernadette Children and Maternity Hospital in San Jose del Monte, the President said women, children and pregnancy will also be considered in the plan to build extensions.
He said the St. Bernadette Children and Maternity Hospital is a specialty hospital as it deals with the conditions of women and children.
Marcos during the event, underscored anew the need to enhance public-private partnerships in the healthcare sector to improve Filipinos’ access to quality health services.
He said one of the priorities of his administration is providing health care and affordable health services to every Filipino but to achieve this, he needs the cooperation of the people, the government and the private sector.
The President urged the Department of Health and the San Jose del Monte city government to coordinate to ensure the children and maternity hospital will be constructed on time and by standards.
The St. Bernadette Children and Maternity Hospital, one of the administration’s development programs in line with the Philippine Health Facility Development Plan (PHFDP), is a Level 1 hospital that will be equipped with 65 beds, including operating and recovery rooms, maternity and isolation facilities, clinical laboratory, imaging facility, and pharmacy.
