A nation that cannot take care of its own would be no better than a failed state.
This is the caveat that prompted President Ferdinand R. Marcos to prioritize health and social justice amidst his overarching goal of attaining progress and development for all Filipinos.
And the President is right in this regard because it would seem ironic that a country that creates one of the best health workers in the world is not able to take care of its own people.
As a corollary, a nation that creates the best nurses in the world should also have the best facilities that medicine can offer, especially specialty hospitals that are rare in far flung areas.
President Marcos saw the wisdom and necessity of bringing modern medicine to the barrios during the pandemic.
The recent COVID-19 proved to be an unprecedented challenge to the country where hundreds of thousands were stricken, gravely disrupting the country’s economic growth.
The Philippines even experienced the 13th-highest economic loss worldwide with an estimated 10 percent GDP decline in 2020.
COVID-19 greatly impacted vulnerable communities in the Philippines due to community quarantines alongside transport and border restrictions which affected health service access and delivery.
Such had a more profound effect on patients requiring specialist care the most.
Swamped with critical-care patients at the height of the pandemic, hospitals and healthcare workers wobbled under crushing pressure.
As the biggest hospitals were concentrated in Metro Manila, afflicted Filipinos from the provinces braved quarantine measures to seek the best treatment which they believed they could only get in the nation’s capital.
Two years after the outbreak of the pandemic, the country’s healthcare system has yet to fully recover from the onslaught.
President Marcos came to office aware of the gargantuan challenge in rebuilding the economy and healthcare.
He initially unshackled the country from a militaristic enforcement of quarantine protocol with the issuance of Proclamation No. 297 on July 21, 2023, lifting the State of Public Health Emergency throughout the Philippines due to COVID-19.
A continuing legacy
The President ratified Republic Act No. 11959, or the “Regional Specialty Centers Act,” mandating the establishment of specialty centers in Department of Health (DOH) hospitals in every region of the country and in government-owned or controlled corporation (GOCC) specialty hospitals.
His landmark action finally institutionalized one of the desires of Filipinos, especially those in the grassroots — to have their own modern hospitals and free them up from the need to go to cities and regional centers.
He ordered the establishment of at least 300 specialty centers across the country by 2028. Although some of these hospitals were already created in 2023, the President’s decisive action means several more specialty centers were completed in far-flung areas.
The President’s ratification of the specialty hospital law further ensures accessibility and affordability of health care services for all Filipinos by establishing and institutionalizing healthcare centers in the regions.
The specialty centers prioritize cancer care, cardiovascular care, lung care, renal care and kidney transplant, brain and spine care, trauma care, burn care, orthopedic care, physical rehabilitation medicine, infectious disease and tropical medicine, toxicology, mental health, geriatric care, neonatal care, dermatology, eye care, and ear, nose, and throat care.
Alfredo Lumbar, a 78-year-old retired government employee from Nueva Ecija lauded President Marcos’ multi-specialty medical center project.
He noted the significant undertaking would help provide medical care to ailing senior citizens and other sick residents of Central and Northern Luzon.
“We no longer need to go to Metro Manila to be treated if we already have a specialty hospital in our region. This means less stress, less travel and less expenses,” Mang Alfredo said in Filipino.
“President Marcos Jr. is continuing the legacy built by his father Marcos Sr. and his mother, the former First Lady Imelda Marcos who made the construction of specialty hospitals like the Heart Center, the Kidney Center and the Philippine Children’s Medical Center,” he said.
“Kaya lang, lahat ng ito ay nasa Metro Manila. Malayo sa aming taga probinsya,” Mang Alredo added.
This would not be the case when the Clark Multi-Specialty Medical Center (CMSMC), the first specialty center, is fully completed by 2028. Its Pediatrics Building is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
Clark’s Answer to the President’s Directive
In 2024, the Clark Freeport Zone (CFZ) joined the fast-growing list of rising specialty centers with the construction of the CMSMC.
President Marcos even graced its site inspection on July 17, 2023, vowing to pursue accessible quality healthcare services for every Filipino.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led on July 17, 2023 the briefing and site inspection of the Clark Multi-Specialty Medical Center (CMSMC) in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga where he vowed to pursue accessible quality healthcare services to every Filipino. (Photo: PCO)
He remarked during the event that the CMSMC is not only part of his State of the Nation Address (SONA) priorities but also an important component of his administration’s Health Facility Enhancement Program (HFEP).
HFEP aims to widen access to quality healthcare services, especially for those in the under-served communities.
“I cannot forget, and the reason that healthcare has been such an important part of this administration, not only because of the experience that we have had in the pandemic in the last two to three years, but also with the guiding understanding and idea that 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. And that is why it is a fundamental part of the services that this government will bring to our people,” the President said in emphasizing that healthcare is an important concern of his administration due to lessons learned during the pandemic.
“It is not a privilege to have healthcare. It is a right, and that is how we will approach this problem, and that is how we will continue to make our healthcare system better for all Filipinos in whatever capacity that we are able to do,” he added.
President Marcos said the CMSMC is envisioned to be a world-class medical facility equipped with state-of-the-art equipment that will provide specialized care in four medical disciplines: pediatric, renal, cardiovascular, and oncology.
Accessible, affordable medical care
Rising on a 5.7-hectare property along Prince Balagtas Avenue in the Clark Freeport Zone (CFZ), the CMSMC is envisioned to be a world-class medical facility with state-of-the-art equipment that will provide specialized care in pediatrics, renal care, cardiovascular care, and oncology.
The CMSMC will be accessible not only to patients from Pampanga and Central Luzon but also from the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions and even Metro Manila.
President Marcos promised to report to the nation on the progress in establishing and opening new healthcare centers around the country.
“Rest assured this administration is determined to bring quality healthcare services closer to Filipino people. We will establish more primary healthcare facilities and specialty centers nationwide,” the Chief Executive said.
“That is the product of our relentless push for Universal Healthcare and we will not stop until every Filipino can say they have good access to quality healthcare. I cannot endure the sight of seeing a fellow Filipino suffer only because of the lack of facilities in our health system,” he added.
He also vowed to establish rural healthcare units and barangay health centers and supported the idea of strengthening the “Botika de Barangay” program.
“All of these things we are putting together so that at least when it comes to the fundamental healthcare for our countrymen, then we can say it is readily available to them, starting from the barangay health workers who play an important part in this system to the RHUs to the provincial hospitals to the tertiary-care level hospitals and to grand multi-specialty medical center such as here in Clark,” he said.
The President thanked the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) for leading the CMSMC project in coordination with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).
He also acknowledged the Department of Health (DOH), the provincial government of Pampanga led by Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda and Vice Governor Lilia ‘Nanay’ Pineda and other stakeholders for the construction of CMSMC.
The project is made possible through partnership with the private sector like the Bloomberry Cultural Foundation, Inc. (BCFI). It embodies a whole-of-government approach to bring medical services closer to the Filipino people.
The DOH described CMSMC as a “catalyst for transformation” to establish specialized medical centers nationwide, adding it’s “equipped with cutting-edge facilities that rival the world’s best.
CMSMC aims to provide top-notch medical care to its patients,” the DOH said. Tthe establishment of the CMSMC is an embodiment of several points of its Eight-Point Action Agenda and President Marcos’ objective to Build Better More, it added.
Atty. Agnes Devanadera, President and Chief Executive Officer of CDC, said the CMSMC will also boost government efforts to promote the country as a medical tourism destination.
“It will introduce a fresh perspective to our country’s healthcare sector by attracting more visitors from diverse regions, both within the Philippines and outside the country. With this, we enhance our standing as a premier destination for exceptional medical services at par with renowned healthcare destinations, hopefully like Singapore,” she said.
Devanadera opined that the CMSMC will serve as a beacon of hope and healing to the people with its modern facilities, a testament to the Marcos administration’s strong commitment to improving the nation’s healthcare services.
“With remarkable foresight and unwavering dedication, the government has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to advancing our healthcare industry,” she added.
Decentralizing healthcare
Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda noted that CMSMC is a big help not only to the residents of Pampanga but also to neighboring Central and Northern Luzon.
“Hindi na po natin kailangan pumunta ng Maynila para magpagamot sa Philippine Heart Center at maging sa kidney and lung centers. Dito sa Pampanga ay mabibigyan na tayo ng lunas,” he said.
In consonance, Devanadera said, “Kung natatandaan niyo po, ang [former] First Lady Imelda [Marcos] ay nagtayo ng specialty hospitals sa Quezon City. So, nagkaroon kami ng desisyon na dapat magkaroon ng replication.”
The DOH had its groundbreaking ceremony in July 2024 for the CMSMC. It was graced by First Lady Marie Louise Araneta Marcos, together with DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and Undersecretary Glenn Matthew G. Baggao.
Also present during the ceremony were the project’s prime movers Governor Pineda and Vice Governor ‘Nanay’ Lilia whose significant contributions resulted in the success of the undertaking.
Joining them in the event were Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan, PAGCOR Vice President Ma. Vina Claudette Peralta Oca, Bloomberry Cultural Foundation Inc. Executive Director Filipina Laurena, and other ranking officials.
The construction ensued on July 10, 2024. The Renal Building, with a P1-billion funding from the DOH, is the first to be constructed by the DPWH.
The six-storey structure will have a total floor area of 10,600 square meters, with a capacity of 110 beds (expandable to 272). It’s projected to be completed within 18 months.
Also targeted for completion on the same schedule is the Children’s Medical Center, with a P1-billion funding from the Bloomberry Cultural Foundation. It will have a similar floor area as the Renal Building.
CDC allocated P900M for the construction of the Medical Arts Building, targeted to start in 2025. As of Nov. 25, 2024, construction of the Pediatrics Building is at 7.04%.
According to Atty. Devanadera, once operational, the CMSMC will be one of the facilities to aid in providing the medical needs of over 140,000 workers in the Clark Freeport Zone. (Presidential Broadcast Service – Bureau of Broadcast Services)
