Department of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa (PNA file photo by Joan Bondoc)
MANILA – About 158 specialty centers have been established nationwide to ensure accessible and affordable healthcare services for all, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday.
During the post State of the Nation Address (SONA) forum in Pasay City, DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa noted that specialty centers prioritize cancer care, cardiovascular care, lung care, renal care, brain and spine care, trauma care, burn care and kidney transplant.
“We have built a total of 158 specialty centers… all over the country and 60 of these were operationalized in the time of the President (Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.),” he said.
Under Republic Act11959 or the Regional Specialty Centers Act, these specialty centers shall also prioritize orthopedic care, physical rehabilitation medicine, infectious disease and tropical medicine, toxicology, mental health, geriatric care, neonatal care, dermatology, eye care, and ear, nose and throat care.
Philippine Statistics Authority records from January to September 2023 showed that cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the country, next to heart disease, and many Filipinos dying from lung cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer.
To help Filipinos battling cancer, the national government has started the establishment of the Philippine Cancer Center.
“This was created by the National Cancer Act which was passed in 2019, it allowed the funding of the 20-story building that will house cancer treatment, diagnosis, research and education,” Herbosa said.
“At the same time, the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) proposed a public-private partnership model for a cancer institute. And this cancer institute will be bid out on a PPP (public-private-partnership), again, not using government funds,” he added.
He emphasized that the UP-PGH Cancer Center will be the training ground for oncologists, supplying the Philippine Cancer Center with cancer specialists and cancer surgeons. (PNA)
