An official from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said that the approval of the establishment of the University of the Philippines (UP)-Philippine General Hospital (PGH) cancer center is a manifestation of the Marcos administration's commitment to prioritizing the healthcare needs of Filipinos.
Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil, citing NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon, said this after the NEDA Board gave the green light to establish the P6-billion, 300-bed capacity UP-PGH Cancer Center-Public Private Partnership (PPP) last week.
"The first PPP to be approved under the Marcos administration is iyong UP-PGH Cancer Institute... ang ganda rin ng (It's a good) message that we are really prioritizing health," Edillon said.
The NEDA official said the administration, under the recently adopted Philippine Development Plan (PDP), wanted to set up Regional Specialty Hospitals to allow people in the provinces to have access to healthcare.
“Kasi ang gusto talaga natin na yung mga kababayan natin na nasa mga malalayong probinsya, hindi kailangang pumunta pa all the way sa Manila para dito (What we want was for our fellowmen in the far provinces to no longer have all the way to Manila for treatment)," she said.
The NEDA Board, chaired by President Marcos, approved seven high-impact projects during its third Thursday meeting in Malacañang, including the UP-PGH Cancer Center.
According to NEDA, these projects will significantly contribute to achieving the administration's social and economic transformation goal in the medium term.
Dr. Jose Rafael Marfori, PGH Special Assistant to the Director, said that with the construction of the UP-PGH Cancer Center, the country could have more extensive facilities that will cater to the needs of cancer patients.
Once the Cancer Center becomes operational, he said medical professionals would have access to new technologies that can aid them in cancer detection and treatment, noting that doctors' expertise and patient access are vital in health care.