The Department of Health (DOH) will establish three super health centers in three towns in this province in a bid to hasten and improve the delivery of medical and health services to the residents.

Dr. Rommel Garganera, DOH-Antique provincial officer, said on Wednesday the towns of Sibalom, San Jose de Buenavista, and Culasi will have the super health center, which is a health facility smaller than the hospital that will offer medical services, such as birthing and other minor cases for outpatients.

“The construction of the super health centers in Sibalom and San Jose de Buenavista will start next week or as soon as possible with the groundbreaking already held yesterday by Senator Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go,” he said in an interview.

Garganera said the one-storey health center in the three towns will cost around PHP10 to PHP15 million each with funds from the DOH, while the local government units (LGUs) provided the lot and manpower as their counterparts.

“The DOH will also provide technical support and manpower augmentation,” he said.

Garganera said the DOH intends to put up more super health centers in the province.

The three LGUs have been identified as the first to have such facility since they were the ones to have submitted their letters of intent to DOH and they have bigger populations, he said.

Garganera added patients seeking medical assistance at the super health center could also avail of the universal healthcare program or have a zero-balance billing upon their discharge.

Go, who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, visited Barangay Villafont in Sibalom and Farmville in Barangay San Pedro, San Jose de Buenavista Tuesday to lead the groundbreaking rites.

In his message, Go said the third super health center will be put up in Culasi to provide medical services to the people in the northern town.

In partnership with the Office of Vice Governor Edgar Denosta, the senator also conducted a medical-dental mission in Sibalom that gave benefits to some 322 patients.

He also led the distribution of cash aid to some 1,000 individuals in crisis situation. (PNA)