First hospital-based disability development care hub opens in Bicol
MANILA, Philippines—A hospital-based center offering developmental screening, therapy and coordinated support services for children with disabilities has opened at the Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center (BRHMC).
Its proponents say the facility is the first of its kind in the Philippines.
The Developmental Care and Support Services Hub for Children with Disabilities (DS Hub) was inaugurated on July 14.
The project was done through a partnership among the Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center (BRHMC), NORFIL Foundation Inc., Dutch nonprofit Liliane Fonds and the Paul Foundation.
According to the project’s partners, the initiative was launched with the shared vision of ensuring that no child is left behind because of disability.
They noted the hospital-based hub will provide timely developmental screening, assessment, therapies, care coordination, parent education, telehealth services and multidisciplinary consultations in one facility.
The initiative also seeks to strengthen referral systems, and improve coordination among healthcare providers delivering developmental care in the region.
The launch comes ahead of the 48th National Disability Rights Week, observed from July 17 to 23, which promotes the rights, participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Bringing services together
Speaking during the inauguration, NORFIL Foundation Executive Director Ma. Teresa Nuqui said the hub was designed to connect different stages of developmental care, and help families navigate available services.
“DS Hub was never envisioned as simply another center that provides services,” Nuqui recalled.
“It was envisioned as a place where services are connected, where developmental screening leads to appropriate assessment, where assessment leads to timely intervention, where families receive guidance instead of confusion,” it pointed out.
NORFIL provides family-based and community-based care services for abused, abandoned and neglected children, as well as children with disabilities.
It has worked for more than four decades on foster care, domestic adoption, disability rehabilitation, and inclusive development programs across the Philippines.
The foundation said the opening of the hub is “ultimately about advancing every child’s fundamental right to belong.”
It also cited research showing that early intervention improves developmental outcomes for children with disabilities.
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The hub aims to help address long-standing gaps in access to developmental services through family-centered, multidisciplinary care while strengthening referral pathways, and coordination among healthcare providers.
Disability rights week activities
The inauguration also preceded this year’s National Disability Rights Week celebration.
As part of the observance, NORFIL Foundation conducted learning sessions on Meaningful Youth Participation and Body Talk for children and youth with disabilities.
According to the organization, the sessions focused on creating safe and inclusive spaces where children and youth with disabilities learned about self-expression, bodily autonomy, participation and children’s rights, while providing participants with opportunities to discuss issues affecting them.
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The foundation said the activities were intended to reinforce the idea that children and young persons with disabilities are not only recipients of services, but also should be recognized as active participants in decisions affecting their lives.
“These activities reflect NORFIL’s belief that meaningful inclusion goes beyond access to healthcare. It means ensuring that children and young persons with disabilities are heard, respected, protected and empowered to participate in their communities,” the organization said in a statement.
Collaboration highlighted
Nuqui said partnerships among government institutions, civil society organizations, development partners, healthcare professionals and families remain important in expanding access to developmental services for children with disabilities.
“No single organization can address these challenges alone… But together, we can create systems that make care easier to access, easier to navigate, and ultimately more meaningful for the people we serve,” she said.
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According to the project’s partners, they hope the DS Hub will serve as a model for integrated, family-centered and rights-based developmental disability services that could be replicated in other parts of the country.
“Because when children receive the support they need early, they gain more than access to healthcare; they gain opportunities to learn, participate, thrive and truly belong,“ NORFIL noted. /apl
