Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go once again called for the establishment of Super Health Centers across the country to improve the access of Filipinos to government health services, particularly in rural areas.

“As chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, I continue to look for solutions to problems in the delivery of effective healthcare to our people. One of the pressing issues that need to be addressed is the lack of accessible medical services in the countryside,” Go said.

“It is for this reason that I proposed the establishment of Super Health Centers. The aim of these centers is to give Filipinos better access to the healthcare services provided by the government, most especially in faraway places where it is needed the most. Through this, Filipinos will not have the need to go to big hospitals in towns or city centers. Through this, we are nearer to our goal of a healthier, more resilient nation,” he added.

Go reiterated the need to establish such medical facilities, noting that the public needs convenient access to quality healthcare services with or without a pandemic.

The Super Health Center is a medium version of a polyclinic and an improved version of the rural health unit. It will have a land area of 514.3 square meters as initially planned.

The proposed centers will have the following services: lab facilities, pharmacy, birthing facilities, out-patient department, dental services, comprehensive PhilHealth out-patient department, and other minor services. The senator also suggested that these health centers be used as satellite vaccination sites for those Filipinos who live far from the urban centers.

The senator from Davao added that the budget for the creation of some of the centers has already been allotted, saying, “Mayroong P3.587 billion budget para sa construction ng 305 Super Health Centers sa 2022 budget under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program. P2.031 billion dito ay para sa infrastructure at P1.556 billion ay para sa equipment (There is P3.587-billion budget for the construction of 305 Super Health Centers in 2022 budget under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program. P2.031 billion of this is for infrastructure and P1.556 billion is for the equipment).”

The construction and equipping of these centers will be under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) of the Department of Health (DOH).

“It is critical to reinforce our current health centers not just to meet health requirements of individuals or families, but also to tackle public health issues and the demands of the community,” said Go.

“People in their communities are entitled to the best possible treatment. These centers will be able to meet their healthcare needs, which include the prevention of diseases, provision of treatment, as well as palliative care and health promotion,” he continued.

Go has been persistently pushing for measures that would improve the country’s healthcare system.

He filed Senate Bill (SB) 2155 which seeks to establish the Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines (VIP) for a more proactive approach in dealing with future pandemics.

Go also filed SB 2158 which establishes the Philippine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC shall serve as the lead agency for developing communicable disease control and prevention initiatives. It will be primarily responsible for controlling the introduction and spread of infectious diseases in the Philippines.

“These efforts are intended to avoid similar situations where poorer nations are left with fewer medical resources, such as vaccines and other essential drugs, to address pandemics as compared to more developed countries that have early on invested in health sciences and medical research,” he said.