Marcos renews commitment to strengthen health care system

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos yesterday encouraged the public to take advantage of free available medical services as he reiterated his commitment to strengthen the country’s health care system.

In his speech during the visit of the “LAB for ALL” caravan in Pasig, Marcos cited the need to take care of one’s health and to ensure that health services are accessible to people in far-flung areas.

Citing health department data, Marcos said there are more than 7,000 geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas and projects like the “LAB for ALL” help address the gap in the health care system.

“We continue to implement projects so that all provinces in the country will have a rural health unit, doctor, nurse, ambulance, mobile health clinic and other equipment,” he said.

A project of First Lady Liza Marcos, LAB for ALL offers free consultation, medicines and basic laboratory tests to enhance access to health care. The caravan, which was launched in May last year, has visited 35 locations nationwide. The caravan also aims to bring other government services to the public, including scholarship grants and the processing of housing and driver’s license requirements.

Other agencies and government entities that extended services through the caravan include the Department of Agriculture, Development Bank of the Philippines, Department of the Interior and Local Government,  Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Trade and Industry, Food and Drug Administration, Land Transportation Office, National Housing Authority, Pag-IBIG, Public Attorney’s Office, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.

“We are ensuring that more communities in cities and provinces will be visited by ‘LAB for ALL.’ Where there are needy Filipinos, your government will work so that these services will reach them,” Marcos said.

The President and the First Lady also led the turnover of three LAB for ALL mobile laboratories to the municipality of Sta. Catalina in Ilocos Sur, Tacloban City and Pasig City. He thanked the Metrobank Foundation and Toyota Foundation for donating three mobile vans with medical equipment such as x-ray, ultrasound machine, portable urine analyzer and glucose and cholesterol monitor that were turned over to the three local governments.