THE southern town of Dalaguete, the “vegetable basket of Cebu,” will hold today the blessing and inauguration of its newly-constructed 676-sq.m. Dalaguete Health Management Complex housing the municipal health office, rural health unit I and the basic emergency obstetric and newborn care (BeMONC).
Dalaguete Mayor Ronald Allan Cesante has started this P8-million project in February 2011 to address the high incidence of home-based maternal deaths in the municipality.
Also, with the limited space at the Rural Health Unit I, the confinement of in-patient cases, instead of the usual out-patient has been difficult to address.
These challenges prompted the local government to undertake the project.
With P2 million initial funding, the municipality has tied up with other government officials to source the remaining funds needed to complete the project.
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano allocated P1,430,000 of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), as well as former senator Juan Miguel Zubiri (P500,000), Senator Teofisto Guingona III (P600,000) and Cebu 2nd district Rep. Pablo Garcia (P1 million); Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia (P1,000,000) and Department of Health (P1,350,000).
Mayor Cesante is optimistic that the project will improve the delivery of health services of the Municipal Health Office headed by Dr. Jose Edgar Alonso.