CVMC Opens 4 New Centers

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday led the inauguration of the newly-constructed centers at the Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC), namel the Cancer Center, Department of Behavioral Medicine, Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) Center and Malasakit Center.

Duque expressed his appreciation to the continued developments of the government-run tertiary hospital in region 2.

He said hospital upgrading is one of the priorities of the health department in order to provide conducive treatment facilities to all patients.

“This is for the people of region 2. This development is a source of inspiration that other hospitals may imitate too,” Duque said.

Good Service

Duque, however, said that building state-of-the-art hospitals and acquiring sophisticated medical equipment should be paralleled with the provision of pleasant and quality services to the patients.

“It is good to have a very nice infrastructure but at the end of the day, we have to assess how nice the services of our physicians, nurses, medical technologists and other hospital employees to our clients because we promote not only good facilities but good character,” the Secretary added.

Hospital Improvement

On his part, Dr. Glenn Mathew Baggao, CVMC chief of hospital, said the new facilities will not only provide better service to the people of region 2 and Cordillera but will also help reduce the patients’ financial burdens.

Baggao said with the new cancer treatment center, patients who are undertaking chemotherapy and other treatment services will no longer go to other hospitals outside of region 2 for their medications while the new behavioural medicine department will also improve its services for individuals who have psychiatric problems.

Malasakit Center

“The Malasakit Center is a one-stop-shop for our poor patients who could not afford to pay their hospital bills through the assistance of the Philippine Health Insurance Service, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and the Department of Health,” Baggao said.

He said the hospital also opted to build a facility to provide an array of medical and support services as well as compassionate care to the people living with HIV/AIDS.

Baggao also encouraged sexually-active individuals or adults to avail of the diagnostic testing services of the center. (ALM/OTB/PIA-2 Cagayan)