MANILA, Philippines - To decongest the city-owned and government-owned hospitals of minor cases, the SM Foundation Inc. under SMFI executive director Connie Angeles is rehabilitating health centers where minor healthcare concerns can be attended to. Since most of the hospital wards being renovated by SM are in Quezon City, Angeles feels that government hospitals should focus on secondary and tertiary care cases. She mentions that most government hospitals in Quezon City have sought the help of SM in rehabilitating its wards and SM has responded to the calls of the East Avenue Medical Center, Children’s Medical Center, the QC General Hospital, and the National Orthopedic Hospital, all located in QC. Of course, SM has likewise responded to the calls of hospitals in Manila, Muntinlupa, Marikina, Mandaluyong, Pasay and Makati, and even in the provinces.
SMFI chose to adopt the Barangay Kaligayahan Health Center in Quezon City as one of the Multi-purpose Health Center projects with the goal of providing cost-effective quality service and continuous health care to the residents and its adjacent barangays. The project also aims to provide the necessary medical and recreational equipment and seed medical supplies until it can stand on its own, said barangay captain Reynaldo Miranda, Jr., in his acceptance speech following the turnover of the facilities as he thanked the SM Group for rehabilitating the Center.
Barangay Kaligayahan Health Center in Novaliches, located within the vicinity of SM Fairview, has an attached Center for the Elderly and a Children’s Activity Center. The Center houses a dispensary, a dental clinic, a laying-in clinic, consultation rooms, and a small pharmacy where medicines can be obtained. It is also recipient of SM’s Gamot Para sa Kapwa medicine drive. Manpower and medicines are provided by the QC government and the Department of Health. On-the-job trainings for the Barangay Health Center personnel are regularly conducted by these agencies to enable them to respond to the many medical cases they encounter daily.
Angeles also committed to undertake a yearly maintenance and upgrading of medical equipment of the Center. The Health Center shall likewise be a venue for regular medical missions of the SM Foundation set up in communities with the mall areas.
Adopting a barangay health center is the newest project of the Foundation in line with its health and medical advocacy. The first barangay health center adopted by SM Foundation was the Bago Bantay Health Center in Quezon City located within the vicinity of SM North. Inaugurated recently with Quezon City Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista as guest of honor, the Multi-purpose Health Center was turned over by Angeles to barangay captain Reynaldo Miranda Jr. and Dr. Antonieta Inumerable, city health officer. Also present during the event were former Senator Juan Flavier, Jonathan Trinidad, district coordinator of the Office of the Vice Mayor and Dr. Susan Binluan, district health officer.