Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and Silay Mayor Joedith Gallego led the groundbreaking of a P10 million super health center (SHC) in Brgy. Eustaquio Lopez, Silay City, Wednesday afternoon, June 7.
Go also distributed P3,000 each in assistance to 2,000 Silay fisherfolk and farmers for a total of P 6 million through the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Gallego said.
Go, Senate Committee on Health chair, said the SHC is a medium-type polyclinic, bigger than a rural health unit and smaller when compared to a hospital.
It is where mothers can give birth, and where residents can go for their dental needs, x-rays and vaccines.
The SHC will bring health services closer to the people and help decongest the provincial hospital, he said.
Funds have been allotted for seven SHCs in Negros Occidental in the 2022 budget and for 18 in the 2023 budget, he said.
Go said he welcomes the appointment of Dr. Teodoro Herbosa as the new secretary of health, and his advice to him is to prioritize the poor by improving the health care system and providing free medicines.
Go said he believes Herboso will address the COVID-19 situation well because he was a member of the Inter-Agency Task force during the administration of President of Rodrigo Duterte.
The appointment of a permanent secretary of agriculture is the prerogative of the appointing authority, President Ferdinand Marcos, he said.
If the president finds someone he trust to head the Department of Agriculture it would be good because the DA plays an important role in ensuring the country’s food security, Go said.
Go said he will push for more pro-poor programs in the country’s 2024 budget, especially for the improvement of the health care system.*