MANILA, Philippines — The government has completed the distribution of mobile primary care clinics to 82 provinces in the country, with President Marcos and First Lady Liza Marcos leading the send-off of the last batch of vehicles to Mindanao yesterday.
In his speech during the ceremonial turnover of 28 Bagong Pilipinas mobile clinics at the North Harbor in Manila, Marcos stressed his administration is committed to bringing primary health care closer to every Filipino especially in underserved and disadvantaged areas.
“For those of us who live in cities and towns, it is easy to say that going to the hospital or the clinic is just a quick trip. But in the rest of the country, getting there feels like a complicated journey. Sometimes, going there requires taking a boat, walking for hours, praying that you will arrive safely. You also have to pay the fare,” Marcos said.
“Health is a right, not a privilege. And with every trip of the mobile clinic, we make sure that every Filipino feels it,” he added.
Each mobile clinic is equipped with medical equipment including a digital x-ray machine, portable ultrasound machine, hematology analyzer, chemistry analyzer, binocular microscope, clinical centrifuge and a generator set.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said each mobile clinic costs around P9.9 million.
“Through mobile clinics and with the help of the local government, we hope to bring medical services closer to areas that have long needed more attention – the geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas or what we call GIDA,” Marcos said.
He added that the Bagong Pilipinas mobile clinics initiative was inspired by the First Lady’s “Lab for All” program with the private sector.
Herbosa said the government is looking at acquiring more vehicles to augment the mobile clinics in bigger provinces.
The government has tapped 2GO, one of the Philippines’ leading logistics and sea transport providers, in transporting the 28 state-of-the-art mobile clinics to Mindanao.
The company will transport the mobile clinics for free.