President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is starting to reap the fruit of his working visit to California with the inauguration of the Healthway Cancer Care Hospital (HCCH) on Friday.
The HCCH was one of the deals President Marcos witnessed on the sidelines of his participation in the recently concluded 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit and related activities in San Francisco.
The President led the inauguration of the HCCH along South Union Drive, Arca South Estate in Taguig City.
In his speech, President Marcos said the opening of the HCCH will go a long way in improving access to quality cancer care in the Philippines as it highlights the strong partnership between the public and the private sectors in strengthening the country’s healthcare system aligned with the administration’s Philippine Health Facility Development Plan and the Integrated Cancer Program.
“All these are geared towards our goal of universal healthcare,” President Marcos said.
“With the help of the HCCH, we can revolutionize the cancer care services industry in the Philippines through modern and state-of-the-art equipment, coupled with leading medical professionals and oncologists. It will certainly positively reflect on the country’s growing potential as a leading healthcare destination in Asia ,” he added.
Noting that cancer is one of the most dreaded illnesses in the Philippines, President Marcos urged the citizenry to get regular check-ups by visiting their community health centers as he emphasized that primary care services are also readily available through the PhilHealth Konsulta, which provides free diagnostics examinations and laboratory tests.
For cancer treatment, the President said there are also 25 Specialty Centers in Cancer Care in select Department of Health (DOH) hospitals in the country.
“I encourage the public to maximize these programs, services, and facilities for cancer care, prevention, and treatment, as the government strives to bring healthcare closer to the people,” Marcos said.
Marcos said the government recognizes the financial burden of cancer treatments, prompting the creation of the Cancer Assistance Fund, which pays the cost of cancer diagnostics and laboratories not covered by the PhilHealth.
The chief executive urged all public and private stakeholders to continue supporting the administration’s Philippine Health Facility Development Plan and invest in building more health facilities similar to HCCH, assuring them of the government’s full support.
“Rest assured that the government remains committed to nurturing an environment that uphold the total well-being of our people; of course, with the continued support of our private partners and investors in healthcare,” President Marcos said.
“Let us work hand in hand as we take on the challenges in public health and deliver quality medical services to our people all over the country. With all of us striving together in this pursuit, I am confident that we will succeed to bring forth a stronger and healthier Philippines in the future,” he added.
Prior to the inauguration of the HCCH, President Marcos witnessed the groundbreaking partnership between the AC Health and Varian Medical Systems on the sidelines of his participation in the 30th APEC Summit and related activities in San Francisco.
Both parties will share their expertise in establishing and running the HCCH, which is Philippines’ first dedicated specialty oncology hospital that will ensure an efficient way of delivering services to patients, making cancer care more accessible to Filipinos.
The HCCH will serve as a network of oncology clinics throughout Metro Manila aimed at providing cancer patients access to comprehensive cancer care utilizing Varian’s state-of-the-art and multi-modality cancer care technologies. PND
