Marikina City Mayor Marcelino "Marcy" Teodoro said the local government will ramp up its efforts to inoculate more residents with vaccines for non-Covid diseases, as well as broaden the scope of their molecular diagnostic testing to include non-Covid cases such as Tuberculosis (TB) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
"Napansin namin ngayon, marami kaming dapat bakunahan na non-Covid. Ito ang tinitingnan namin sa ngayon (We have noticed that there are many people with non-Covid that we need to vaccinate. This is what we're looking into as of now)," Teodoro said during the media forum with the DOH in Marikina City on Tuesday, Feb. 7.
"We're also discussing the possibility of how we can do some other molecular diagnostic tests in our Covid test center. Hindi na pwedeng Covid lang. Madami na tayong non-Covid that we need to address (We can no longer just focus on Covid only. There are many non-Covid that we need to address)," he added.
During the forum, Teodoro emphasized the local government's continuous efforts in strengthening its primary healthcare services and implementing more health-focused initiatives, in cooperation with the Department of Health (DOH).
"We are developing the capacity of our health centers, not only to cure, but more importantly, to prevent diseases," he said.
"The primary problem is really access to quality medical services. This can be provided by universal healthcare (UHC). What we're doing is improving and making sure all of our health centers are compliant as a primary care facility (PCF) under UHC," he added.
With 18 health centers in its 16 barangays, Marikina has the highest number of healthcare facilities that are PCF-accredited, amongst the 17 local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila.
The health centers were also enrolled and accredited by Philhealth in order to financially protect and help citizens cover medical expenses.
The Metro Manila Center for Health and Development (MMCHD) stated that Marikina serves as a model or template for other LGUs in delivering accessible primary healthcare.
During the pandemic, the local government began constructing "super health centers" in order to accommodate more patients, improve services, and in anticipation of future health issues or crises.
Teodoro emphasized the local government's need for more mobile diagnostic clinics or laboratories that use advanced technology in TB screening. He said he has sought the DOH's help on how to avail of the mobile clinics.
This would help city residents get urgent treatment and aid the local government monitor patients with highly contagious diseases, he added.
The local government also discussed the city's medical scholarships initiative. Spearheaded by Vice Mayor Dr. Marion Andres, the scholarship grants financial aid to aspiring Marikeño doctors to complete their studies. It has also become a way for the LGU to provide the city with homegrown medical professionals.
Andres said there are currently 17 scholars under their medical scholarship program.
The mayor said the local government is trying to complement the programs of the DOH by following a "whole of government" approach wherein they create their own local programs to improve healthcare in line with national objectives.
Among these initiatives are the creation of new items and plantilla positions for skilled medical workers, prioritizing healthcare in the city's budget, renovating health centers, and acquiring more technologically-advanced medical equipment, all in consideration of the new normal due to the societal and health changes brought by the Covid pandemic.
", we should be able to immediately and effectively respond. Through the primary healthcare system, we are doing that," Teodoro added.
DOH, LGU community engagement, health center visit
Prior to the media forum, Teodoro and local health officials accompanied DOH Officer-in-Charge Dr. Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire, DOH Undersecretary Nestor Santiago Jr., and MMCHD Director Dr. Aleli Sudiacal, as they visited the Parang Health Center in Marikina City.
There they met with the patients and healthcare workers and inspected the plethora of services offered by the health center, from maternal and child healthcare, diagnostic capacity for TB, and immunization of children.
Vergeire and Teodoro led the demonstration of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in chest x-ray for TB diagnosis in the mobile clinic at the site. The technology and equipment were provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The patients were given free x-ray screening, according to the DOH.
Vergeire previously served as a Rural Health Physician of the Marikina City Health Office from 1997 to 2006.
She pledged her support to help and provide assistance to the local government in order to achieve UHC for all Marikeños.