Hundreds of the city’s residents, especially the less fortunate, depend on the health centers to address their medical needs. In a day, some 250 or more residents flock to health centers located in various barangays.
A big chunk of the budget was used to procure new medical facilities and other office equipment.
Last week, the mayor made a surprise visit to the health centers and distributed brand-new computer units, the second batch of facilities given to health centers in just a couple of months. Last January, the centers were given weighing scales for babies by the mayor’s wife, Queenie Gonzales.
During the visit, Mayor Gonzales held a dialogue with the health center officials and volunteers on the poor state of some centers as well as their woes and problems. Most of the problems were about the physical structure of the centers – cracks in the building, leaks in the ceiling and poor ventilation.
Gonzales instructed Dr. Zaldy Carpeso, executive director of the Special Committee on Health Care Delivery, to make sure the concerns and needs of these health centers are addressed. The committee is under the administrative and technical supervision of the City Health Office.
"The health of our citizens has always been one of my administration’s top priorities. I believe a strong and vibrant city stems from a hardworking and healthy populace. Through these facilities and improvement, our health centers will be able to provide better and efficient health services especially to those who cannot afford to go to hospitals," the mayor said.
Of the 26 health centers scattered in various barangays in the city, 10 are certified by the Department of Health as "Sentrong Sigla" centers for their high standard quality of service. This seal is given by DoH to centers which have passed stringent evaluation criteria on quality health servicing.
"I hope that through this modernization of medical equipment and enhanced services, more health centers will be qualified for "Sentrong Sigla" certification as manifestation of improved health servicing," Gonzales said.
All health centers in the city provide preventive health services such as general medical services, dental and optical service, laboratory services, nutrition supplements and immunization programs. The centers also focus on three major health programs and services: Family Health, Infectious Disease Control, and Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases.
Aside from health centers, the city also has two lying-in clinics that provide supplementary health services to mother such as attendance to normal deliveries, referrals of all cases with complications to hospitals, newborn screening and care, and breastfeeding.
