Reelectionist Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri on Monday called for the establishment of specialty hospitals across the country in a bid to deliver quality health care to "every corner of the country."
Zubiri said he is "very much committed to decentralizing our health care system" because he knows the hardship of getting access to medical needs "being Mindanaoan" himself.
The lawmaker wanted to bring hospitals similar to the Philippine Heart Center, the Lung Center of the Philippines, the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute and the Philippine Cancer Center to the provinces.
"It’s so important that we strengthen our medical care system in our provinces. Sa ngayon kasi, kailangan pang lumuwas ng mga tao mula probinsiya papuntang Maynila, kung magpapagamot sa mga specialty hospitals (Because now, people still have to go to Manila from the province if they need speciality hospitals)," he said.
"Pero kung wala kang sasakyan o kahit pamasahe para makaluwas ng Maynila, sigurado wala ka ring pang-private hospital (But if you have no private care or fare to go to Manila for sure you don't also have money to afford a private hospital). This is the reality for millions of Filipinos, kaya hindi na lang sila nagpapagamot," he added.
Zubiri said instead of sending patients from the province to Manila, the government "must bring the hospitals" to them.
"So we have started working with local government units to do this. Last year, we passed the Bacolod City General Hospital Act, to cater to the residents of Bacolod and nearby cities and municipalities. This hospital was also established in an effort to decongest the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, which was the only tertiary hospital in Negros Occidental at the time," he said, adding lawmakers are also doing the same in other provinces.
"But we want to go beyond general hospitals. Siyempre tuloy ang efforts natin na magtayo ng general hospitals (We should continue our efforts to build general hospitals), especially for places that don’t have tertiary hospitals yet. But along with these, isusulong rin natin na makapagtayo ng (we would push for the establishment of) regional specialty hospitals," he added.