PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday led the groundbreaking ceremony for the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) College of Allied Health Services Building in Manila, marking a significant investment in training future health professionals.
In his speech at the event held in Manila’s Malate district, the president said the local government’s project would elevate the quality of health care services nationwide.
“With the construction of the College of Allied Health Sciences Building, the younger generation will have the chance to study medical courses. They are the next pillars of our health sector,” Marcos said.
“By providing funds to build this facility, the government aims to give students in need the opportunity to study at a quality university,” he added.
Marcos said the government also aimed to allow underprivileged students to study in a “great university.” He said the government has allocated more than P1 billion for medical scholarships and tuition subsidies for students in state universities and colleges.
The project is important in fostering the development of highly skilled and principled medical professionals, he added.
The new five-story PLM College of Allied Health Sciences Building will be constructed through the conversion and retrofitting of the old Ospital ng Maynila facility.
The building will house programs in Medicine, Nursing, and Physical Therapy, featuring expanded skills laboratories and clinical simulation areas; therapy, rehabilitation, and skills training spaces; and dedicated research and instructional facilities.
Also, the project aims to integrate public health care delivery with hospital-based medical education in the city of Manila, enabling real-time clinical education without the need for off-site rotations.
Locating PLM’s allied health programs within the OMMC complex will enable hospital-based clinical instruction, supervised student participation in patient care, and more efficient deployment of interns and trainees.
Once completed, the new facility will be able to accommodate at least 7,200 additional enrollees across medicine and allied health programs.
Marcos also led the turnover of a check for P15 million to the President Corazon C. Aquino General Hospital located at Baseco Compound in Manila Port Area for facility and service improvements.
He inspected the key facilities at OMMC, including the Mammogram Room, MRI Room, CT Scan Imaging Room, and the Cardiovascular Catheterization Laboratory, highlighting the hospital’s role as a major public health care provider for Manileños.
The president also checked on patients in the Pediatric Ward.
OMMC currently handles more than 122,000 outpatient consultations annually, about 62,000 emergency room consultations, and over 12,600 hospital admissions per year.
Marcos said the government has earmarked over P427 billion to the Department of Health and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), more than P13 billion to specialty hospitals, nearly P9 billion to hospitals of the Department of National Defense and the Philippine National Police, and nearly P98 billion to local government health programs.
He said that around P1.4 billion budget has been allocated for medical assistance and the implementation of the Zero Balance Billing at the Philippine General Hospital.
“All of these are expected to improve medical services and strengthen our health sector,” Marcos said, urging the public to take advantage of government health programs.
“We will no longer allow our fellow citizens to suffer from illness due to a lack of funds for medical care. We will not allow families in the provinces to struggle because of long distances to reach hospitals,” he added.
