DAVAO CITY — Approaching the end of his 6-year term, President Rodrigo Duterte has fulfilled another milestone as he inaugurated Friday evening two medical facilities furnished with modern cancer treatment and diagnostic equipment worth PHP893 million.
The facilities–the Cancer Diagnostic Institute Building and the Cancer Treatment Facility Building–are located in the government-run Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) and have been identified as priority projects of the Office of the President.
“My vocation (in helping cancer patients) started many years ago. Every Christmas, I will go to hospitals to bring joy to the children with cancer. Seeing their situation, I want to give them everything while they are still with us,” Duterte said during the ceremony.
In his speech, Duetrte emphasized ” t gives me immense pleasure to join you for the inauguration of the Cancer Diagnostic Institute Building and Cancer Treatment Center here at the Southern Philippines Medical Center. This feat makes me glad, for it is indeed a huge leap that will help address the health needs of our people.
He lauded the SPMC, the Department of Health, and all private partners for investing in the improvement of healthcare services in the region.
He added “No longer will our cancer patients need to travel far just to receive the necessary treatments and care. This accessibility to modern healthcare facilities, particularly those that cater to cancer patients, will surely help ease the burden carried by patients and their families. I am confident, together with the devotion of the medical frontliners, this project will make a long-lasting and life-changing impact in the healthcare sector and in the lives of generations of Mindanawons.
To the medical practitioners, Duteret said “I urge our medical practitioners all over the Philippines to give the necessary attention to non-COVID-19 cases whose treatments may have been delayed or affected due to the restrictions we have to impose.”
The President is hoping that public and private hospitals across the country will be inspired to further improve their services for our fellow Filipinos.
The Cancer Diagnostic Building is equipped with a 64-slice PET-Scan (Positive Emission Tomography) for the early detection or recurrence of cancer costing PHP120M, the first in Mindanao.
Another equipment, the PHP230-million 24 MeV (Mega-electron volt) Medical Cyclotron Facility, uses PET-Scan for the diagnosis of cancer.
Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said the Medical Cyclotron Facility is the first to be installed in a government hospital in the country.
Vega said the facility is also equipped with a SPEC-CT Nuclear Imaging Facility for the diagnosis of cancer and cardiovascular diseases costing PHP78 million.
He said the Cancer Diagnostic Building costs PHP75 million to build.
Meanwhile, the Cancer Treatment Facility is equipped with a LINAC machine, or the Linear Accelerator, or the Radiotherapy Therapy for cancer.
According to Duterte, the Philippine Games and Amusement Corporation (PAGCOR) also provided PHP365 million for the projects.
Vega said the projects started construction in October 2019 but went through several setbacks following the coronavirus disease pandemic in early 2020.
However, Vega said the President insisted that the projects be pushed through despite the challenges. –Newsline
