First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos joined President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and business leader Enrique Razon in inaugurating the Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital Children’s Medical Center in Clark, Pampanga on Friday.

A partnership between the public and private sectors, the facility was established with support from the Bloomberry Cultural Foundation Inc., the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) and the Clark Development Corp.

Following the unveiling, the First Couple and Razon toured the pediatric ward, respiratory unit and laboratory of the new medical center.

The First Couple briefly interacted with patients, their parents and hospital personnel.

The DoH-JBLMGH-CMC has a 120-bed capacity. It is part of the Philippine Health Facility Development Plan, which President Marcos introduced in his first State of the Nation Address on 25 July 2022.

“That is why we are pushing to establish specialty centers not only in Metro Manila but across the country, so patients will not have to travel long distances and we will have the facilities needed to provide treatment. In this case, children with serious illnesses will no longer have to be transported elsewhere for specialized care,” the President said in an interview.

Contribution to dev’t

For his part, Razon said, “We went to work on this hospital after the President identified the need for this type of hospital outside the National Capital Region.”

“This is not a business venture. It’s a contribution to our country’s development and, more importantly, a worthwhile investment in the future,” he added.

Pagcor chairman and CEO Al Tengco said the facility represents the first phase of the Clark Multi-Specialty Medical Center, which will eventually provide specialized services in pediatrics, kidney care, cardiovascular medicine and oncology.

“Today, we are not simply inaugurating a health facility, we are witnessing the fulfillment of a promise,” Tengco said.

“The milestone reflects our shared commitment to bringing specialized world-class medical care closer to Filipinos,” he added.

The plan is to strengthen the country’s healthcare system through the establishment of regional multi-specialty hospitals, bringing quality and specialized health services closer to Filipinos nationwide.

The DoH-JBLMGH-CMC provides a wide array of specialized outpatient, inpatient, urgent care, and emergency room services. As a state-of-the-art facility, it operates in strict alignment with the Universal Healthcare (UHC) Act to ensure that every Filipino has seamless access to quality, equitable, and patient-centered medical care.

The facility is ready to provide a wide range of services, including adolescent care, a high-risk pregnancy clinic, different pediatric medical services such as otorhinolaryngology head and neck surgery, ophthalmology, neurology, nephrology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and metabolic diseases, hematology and oncology, cardiology and pulmonology.