LUMBAN, Laguna – A new two-storey rural health unit (RHU) will be ready to serve the local community here by the first quarter of 2019.
This, after the Department of Health (DOH) in Calabarzon turned over an initial PHP5 million to the local government for the construction of the PHP15-million rural health unit in Barangay (village) Lewin here Wednesday.
Project works include facilities upgrade like the Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC) and Comprehensive Emergency and Newborn Care (CEmONC) services, according to DOH Calabarzon Media Relations and Communications Unit (MRCU) on Friday.
During the ground breaking rites of the new building, DOH-Calabarzon Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo said the old and dilapidated health center has been in service in this agricultural town for nearly three decades already.
He said the new facility is being implemented through the DOH Health Facilities Enhancement Program (DOH-HFEP) to improve the delivery of basic and essential, as well as specialized services “to make the facility more responsive to the needs of the communit.”
“With the passage of the Universal Health Care Law, the DOH can now upgrade more government-owned and operated hospitals and health facilities to accommodate the growing number of patients and attend to all types of emergencies,” Janairo said.
The old existing RHU does not have much funding from the local and national government, prompting Janairo to act immediately upon receipt of the local government unit’s request for funding.
“Government facilities provide for almost all the medical care needs of the community, because it is free,” he said.
“This is the reason why it should not be under-manned and under-resourced. They should always meet the demands of their patients from consultation to treatment,” he added.
He assured residents that the regional office will allocate more funds, including resources for the equipment needed to modernize and improve health care services for the residents and strengthen the health service delivery network. ( Gladys Pino/PNA)
