New Clark medical center a fulfillment of SONA promise: Marcos

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said his administration was "relentlessly" pushing for universal healthcare for all Filipinos, as he inspected the construction of a new multi-specialty medical center in Clark, Pampanga that he said was part of that push.

Marcos said the Clark Multi-Specialty Medical Center (CMSMC), which would cater to patients with kidney, health, cancer, and pediatric-related concerns, is also part of the priorities he had laid out in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) last year, where he vowed that his government would build more specialty hospitals across the country.

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"Rest assured, this administration is determined to bring quality healthcare and services closer to [the] Filipino people... We will not stop until every Filipino can say they have good access to quality healthcare," he said in his speech during CMSMC's groundbreaking ceremony.

He also noted that the Philippines' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic was also part of the reason why his administration considers healthcare a priority, as the country needed to prepare in the event of another major health crisis.

"Any person, no matter how successful they are in whatever field they have been, cannot enjoy that success if they do not also enjoy good health... It is not a privilege to have healthcare; it is a right," the President said.

Aside from multi-specialty medical centers, Marcos also reaffirmed his administration's commitment to build more rural healthcare units, barangay centers, and even barangay-level pharmacies or "botika de barangay" to ensure that healthcare would be "readily available" to Filipinos.

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"This is part of a larger system of healthcare provision that we are putting together to service our kababayans so that they do not have to wait to get very, very sick before they go to the big hospitals," Marcos said.

He also thanked the government offices and agencies leading efforts in the construction of the new Clark medical center, including the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), the Department of Health (DOH), and the provincial government of Pampanga.

"Make sure that we continue to collaborate with one another between agencies, keep an open line amongst each other and ensure the timely completion of this extremely important project," he added.

Once completed, the CMSMC is expected to receive patients not only from Pampanga and the Central Luzon region, but also from Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, and the Cagayan Valley Region, Marcos said.

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