PBBM inaugurates ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ cancer center at OFW hospital

CANCER CARE. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the groundbreaking of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Hospital – Bagong Pilipinas Cancer Care Center in San Fernando, Pampanga on Tuesday (Dec. 10, 2024). (PCO Photo)

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos, Marita Moaje, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Tuesday the government needs to take more aggressive action to help Filipinos battling cancer, considering that the disease is the second leading cause of death in the Philippines.

Marcos made the pronouncement as he led the groundbreaking of the Bagong Pilipinas Cancer Care Center of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Hospital – Bagong Pilipinas Cancer Care Center in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga.

“From January to May of this year, the Philippine Statistics Authority ranked cancer as the second leading cause of death now in the Philippines,” he said. “Aggressive as this terrible disease is, we need to be equally aggressive in providing treatment for our patients – to give them hope, to provide them with care, make them feel at home at the time when they need it the most.”

“This is why the hospital’s second floor will be dedicated to the Bagong Pilipinas Cancer Care Center. While this vision is clear, we acknowledge that much work remains to ensure that this facility would be equipped to serve those in need,” he added.

The President thanked the DOH for making the project a reality through its Health Facility Enhancement Program.

He said he looks forward to the completion of the new facility and the procurement of the necessary medical equipment.

He also paid tribute to the late Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople, saying the establishment of the new cancer care facility was inspired by her vision and dedication to improve and protect the OFWs’ welfare.

He said Ople’s legacy continues to guide the Filipinos and reminds the public to approach every patient with compassion and care.

“Sa aming minamahal na OFWs, ang karagdagang pasilidad na ito ay para po sa inyo, sa inyong pamilya. Hindi naman natin hinahangad na magamit ninyo ito, ngunit mas makakahinga tayo (nang maluwag) kung alam natin na may matatakbuhan na ospital ang ating mga OFWs sa oras ng inyong pangangailangan (To our beloved OFWs, this additional facility is for you, for your family.

We do not wish for you to use it but we can breathe easier knowing that our OFWs have a hospital to run to in their time of need),” Marcos said.

“Nawa’y ang Cancer Care (Center) na ito ay maging simbolo ng ating mas magandang kinabukasan – kung saan ang sakripisyo ng ating mga OFW ay masuklian, ang kanilang pangarap ay mabigyang katuparan, at ang kanilang kalusugan ay pinapahalagahan (May this Cancer Care Center be a symbol of our better future – wherein the sacrifices of our OFWs are repaid, their dreams are fulfilled, and their health is valued).”

Inaugurated in 2022, the OFW Hospital is the first and only medical institution in the Philippines that provides comprehensive medical services to OFWs and their dependents.

Services offered include laboratory services, radiology diagnostic imaging, outpatient consultation, inpatient admission, minor surgery, and urgent care for OFWs and their qualified dependents, including spouses, children, parents, and siblings for unmarried OFWs.

The DMW is expanding the services of the Level 1 Specialty Hospital to establish hemodialysis and cancer care units that will help address the significant burden of chronic kidney disease and cancer within the OFW community.

Specifically, it envisions elevating the 50-bed capacity hospital into a premier tertiary center that offers highly specialized diagnostic and therapeutic services tailored to the unique needs of migrant workers.

Center even for former OFWs

DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the former OFWs will also benefit from the Cancer Care Center.

“Libre po ang lahat, OFW ka man ngayon, papunta pa lamang sa abroad o nagretiro na sa serbisyo, kayo at ang inyong mga mahal sa buhay ay tatanggapin dito sa OFW Hospital at pagsusumikapan natin matugunan lahat ng inyong pangangailangang medikal sa ilalim ng ating (Everything is free, whether you are an OFW now, just going abroad or retired from the service, you and your loved ones will be welcomed here at the OFW Hospital and we will strive to meet all your medical needs under our) Bagong Pilipinas,” Cacdac said.

Cacdac said the new facility, expected to be completed by 2025, and fully operational in 2026, will initially provide chemotherapy services, and eventually expand to include higher-level diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy in the future, in partnership with other institutions.

The center, he said, will address overcrowding at the existing outpatient department (OPD) of the OFW Hospital which currently serves over 160 patients daily.

Once built, the current OPD will be repurposed as a pre-departure and post-arrival medical examination area for OFWs.

“Malayo na, pero malayo pa ang puwedeng marating (we have come so far yet there is still much work to be done). We continue to plan and implement the improvements we have set for the OFW Hospital,” Cacdac said.