
By Brian Campued
Filipinos needing urgent trauma, orthopedic, and burn care can now access hospitalization and treatment at the Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital in San Fernando City, Pampanga, with the establishment of specialty centers equipped with advanced technology and state-of-the art facilities.
During the launch of Advanced Centers for Comprehensive Orthopedic Care and for Trauma and Burns Care at the hospital on Wednesday, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa underscored the importance of timely delivery of affordable healthcare services to the people.
“When someone suffers a serious injury, every second counts. Kaya magpapatuloy pa ang DOH sa pagtataguyod ng mga ganitong specialized centers sa mga DOH hospitals na makabago at mataas ang kalidad ng teknolohiya para magawa ng mga doktor kahit ang mga pinakamahirap na procedures na makapagsasalba sa buhay ng pasyente,” Herbosa said.

The initiative is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure that safe and quality medical services reach every corner of the country, even to the far-flung areas, with the help of technology and digitalization.
The specialty centers include two fully-equipped buildings dedicated to orthopedic and trauma care; three integrated operating rooms with live-video consultation capabilities; three operating theaters for various surgical procedures; a robotic surgical system for minimally invasive and more precise operations; 125-bed capacity in wards; specialized critical care units dedicated to orthopedic trauma and burn cases; advanced diagnostic tools such as CT scan, ultrasound-guided biopsy, doppler ultrasound, and arthroscopy.
Basic accommodation in these modern facilities are free of charge, Herbosa noted.
“Dahil sa mga specialty centers na ganito sa mga rehiyon, hindi na kailangan maglakbay ang mga pasyenteng kailangan ng tulong mula sa mga probinsiya. Ito ang layon ng ating Presidente,” the DOH chief said.
-jpv