Valenzuela opens new, improved health centers

Valenzuela residents can now expect consistent health-care services when they drop by the city’s health centers which are compliant with standards set by the Department of Health (DOH) and World Health Organization (WHO).

The first health center was launched in Barangay (village) Maysan and features a porch, an admission area, a treatment and consultation room, a prenatal and infant examination room, a midwife station, a Tuberculosis Directly Observed Treatment Shortcourse room, a pantry and a toilet.

These features and services, together with a dental clinic and a laboratory that can provide basic blood, stool and urine tests, are available initially in 19 health centers maintained by the city government. The city will also construct four new health centers adhering to these standards, Mayor Rexlon Gatchalian said.

“Valenzuela residents can go to any of these 19 health centers and expect the same consistent kind of service available everywhere as prescribed by the DOH and WHO,” he added.

Each of the renovated health centers has a floor area of 60 to 85 square meters, according to DOH specifications. Gatchalian added that the exterior and interior design of the health centers was the same throughout  to make it easier for residents to recognize them.

He said that 25 other health centers and three maternity lying-in clinics throughout the city would also be brought up to standards in the coming months, either by renovating or replacing these with bigger health centers.

Each of the 48 health centers, the city government claimed,  could serve 12,000 residents, way above the minimum WHO standard of one health center per 20,000 people.

A huge chunk of the Valenzuela City Health Office’s P261-million budget for 2014 will be spent for the renovation or construction of the health centers.