Cancer center, admin’s commitment to healthcare – Romualdez

Speaker Martin Romualdez —official Facebook page of the House of Representatives of the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — The building of a cancer center in the City of Manila shows the current administration’s commitment to providing affordable and accessible healthcare, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said on Tuesday.

Romualdez during the inauguration of one of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s legacy projects in Manila said the center would eventually push the country closer to the Chief Executive’s goal—that even poor patients can get medication and treatment.

“The President’s vision is clear: no Filipino should have to choose between their health and their livelihood.  The establishment of cancer centers, like the one we inaugurated, is a testament to President Marcos’ commitment to this cause,” he added.

The Governor Benjamin Romualdez Cancer Center—named after the Speaker’s late father—will be a five-story building sitting on the grounds of Ospital ng Maynila. It is expected to be a 38-bed capacity building, which will be equipped with medical equipment like Linear Accelerators, Spect Gamma Cameras with Treadmill Machine, and computed tomography (CT) scanner.

Big help

Romualdez thanked the city government of Manila for helping the administration with its programs, as it would be a big help not only for the city’s residents, but for people from other areas as well.

“Your solidarity with the goal of the administration of President Marcos to leave behind a legacy of healthcare emboldens us to aspire for even higher goals,” Romualdez said.  “(This is where) even the poorest among us can access top-tier medical care without the fear of financial ruin.”

“I am grateful that the City of Manila, with its capable doctors and medical practitioners, has taken on this important challenge – not just to provide patients with affordable yet effective treatments for cancer in advanced stages, but enable early cancer detection for better outcomes,” he added.

According to Romualdez, he himself saw how cancer can devastate people, as his father suffered cancer before eventually succumbing to the disease in February 2012.

“I have first-hand knowledge on this (cancer), losing my father to this dreaded disease. Here and now, I commit to fully support the completion of this medical facility that bears his name.  (This is) another step in the realization of the promise (for more hospitals),” he said.

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“Cancer care is a broad field. From information and education initiatives down to the local barangay level, psychological support for patients and survivors, providing support for these initiatives, to research, to actual treatment, each of us have a role to play to achieve victory in this battlefield […] Together, let us build a cancer-free Philippine society,” he added.

National Integrated Cancer Control Act

Romualdez explained that the building is in compliance with Republic Act No. 11215 or the National Integrated Cancer Control Act (NICCA) signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019.

He also noted that the hospital is not merely a building, as it has to have been staffed by competent health workers, who can attend to the concerns of Manila residents and those from nearby areas.

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Romualdez has attended the groundbreaking of several other legacy hospitals in the country. Early June, Romualdez accompanied Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co during the inauguration of the 20-story Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center in Legazpi City, Albay.

Both Romualdez and Co touted the Legacy Hospitals Project of President Marcos’ administration, as it would address the shortage of properly equipped hospitals in the countryside.

“The President has consistently emphasized that the health and well-being of every Filipino, regardless of their economic status, is a fundamental right and a cornerstone of his administration’s agenda,” Romualdez said.

“Through initiatives like the Universal Health Care Act, the administration (of President Marcos) is working tirelessly to provide comprehensive health services that are accessible and affordable,” he added.