MARAMAG in Bukidnon just got a new pulse. The freshly inaugurated Super Health Center opened its doors on 11 September, part of a broader push to plant primary care right in the heart of the provinces, no more long hauls to the city just to see a doctor. For the northern Mindanao families, healthcare just moved a whole lot closer to home.
Photograph courtesy of sbg
A Super Health Center in Maramag, Bukidnon, opened on 11 September, with Senator Christopher “Bong” Go as guest, underscoring his continuing push to bring primary healthcare services closer to communities, particularly those outside major urban centers.
Go joined local officials led by Maramag Mayor Atty. Jose Joel Doromal and Vice Mayor John Lester “Jan-Jan” Tan-Malack Tan, along with municipal councilors, barangay officials and health workers. Valencia City Mayor Cecil Galario was also present.
As a health reform advocate, Go has consistently pushed for strengthening the country’s healthcare system from the community level upward, maintaining that Filipinos should not have to travel long distances to access consultations, diagnostics and other basic medical services.
The Maramag facility forms part of the network of Super Health Centers being developed nationwide to serve as an intermediate level of care between barangay health stations and larger hospitals.
Priority is provinces
Go has repeatedly emphasized that primary care facilities are especially important in provinces where distance, transportation costs, and limited hospital access can discourage patients from seeking treatment early.
Bukidnon has 15 Super Health Centers funded across different municipalities and cities, including facilities in Kadingilan, Kitaotao, Malaybalay, Pangantucan, Sumilao, San Fernando, Kalilangan, Manolo Fortich, Quezon, Talakag, Don Carlos, Impasug-Ong, Libona, Valencia and Maramag. The Maramag Super Health Center was among the facilities listed for turnover this year.
Go stressed that, through his continuing health advocacy, improving access to community-based care can help patients address medical concerns earlier and reduce unnecessary congestion in tertiary hospitals.
His healthcare agenda also includes Republic Act 11463, or the Malasakit Centers Act, which he principally authored and sponsored, and RA 11959, or the Regional Specialty Centers Act, which seeks to expand access to specialized medical services outside Metro Manila.
“We will continue to serve you because serving others is my passion. I believe that serving the people is serving the Lord; it is serving Allah,” underscored Go, who is known as Mr. Malasakit for his compassionate service to Filipinos in need.
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