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TACLOBAN CITY — A “super health center” is set to be constructed in the town of Matag-ob, Leyte, a development warmly welcomed by the municipal government.

The facility, which will be funded by the Department of Health (DOH) under its Health Facilities Enhancement Program, has an allocated budget of P12 million.

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Mayor Bernardino Tacoy said the new facility would be built at the town center, adjacent to the rural health unit (RHU) building.

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“We are pushing for the super health center to be located here in our town proper, next to our rural health building. This is part of our plan to consolidate all health facilities in one location,” Tacoy said in a media interview on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

A super health center offers a range of medical services, including laboratory testing, such as blood and urinalysis, diagnostic tests for infectious diseases, X-ray services, birthing and lying-in services, and basic dental care, among others.

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“This super health facility is one closest to a hospital, which Matag-ob does not have,” the mayor said.

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However, Tacoy disclosed that some politicians in the town and the third district of Leyte suggested that the facility be built in Barangay Santa Rosa.

Government debt in these countries, which are home to around 40 percent of the world’s population, now stands at an average of 72 percent of GDP – an 18-year high – the Washington-based development lender said.

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The mayor opposed this proposal, arguing that building the health center in Santa Rosa would not serve the town’s residents effectively.

“Santa Rosa is one of our farthest barangays, about nine kilometers from the town proper. It has also been identified as a hazard area prone to landslides,” he explained.

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Tacoy has already ordered the demolition of an old building to make way for the two-story health facility.

If all goes according to plan, the center is expected to be completed by April this year.

He also assured Matag-ob residents that the project would proceed as planned despite the upcoming elections as its funding was allocated last year and a notice to proceed had been issued by the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Tacoy shared that he initially requested the DOH to build the health center as early as 2022 to supplement their rural health office. The new facility will significantly enhance healthcare services for Matag-ob’s more than 18,000 residents.

Meanwhile, the mayor thanked the DOH for assigning an additional doctor to their town.

Matag-ob is one of 22 municipalities in Eastern Visayas that recently received new doctors under the DOH’s ‘Doctors to the Barrios program.

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“We currently have only one doctor serving our townowl game, and this addition will greatly strengthen our efforts to provide medical assistance to our people,” Tacoy said.

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