To further enhance healthcare accessibility across the country, the Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday, July 23 announced its plans to procure additional mobile clinics following the successful distribution of initial units.

During the post-SONA discussions on Tuesday, DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa confirmed the decision to expand the mobile clinic initiative, which was initially funded through the Presidential Social Fund.

Herbosa said 83 mobile clinics equipped with medical facilities, such as hematology, chemistry, x-ray, and ultrasound, including generator sets, have been procured so far.

“So, the idea of the mobile clinic is that it would go to the remote areas where doctors can’t go and it will be given to the governors so that the DOH can also help them with personnel and provide modern primary care to the remotest areas of our geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas,” he explained.

“We’re planning to procure more actually because we have 82 provinces and another one for NCR [National Capital Region] so that’s 83. We’ve distributed 37 and the rest are going…all those distributed in 37 are Regions I to V, including CAR [Cordillera Administrative Region],” he added.

Herbosa said that all the provinces in Luzon have received a mobile clinic each in the past two months.

He added that DOH will be bringing the next batches to Visayas and Mindanao.

“So, this is very exciting because yesterday [June 22] at the SONA [State of the Nation Address], many of the congressmen and governors were approaching me, ‘How do we get one?’ So, I think there will be additional procurement, I think there’s plan to procure more if this is really a successful project because, again, it’s in line with what the President ordered—bring health care closer to the people. So, the mobile is the success of this particular idea,” Herbosa said.