A health worker’s 2nd home: San Fernando, Cebu Primary Healthcare Facility

Dr. Alfredo P. Manugas VI, the San Fernando, Cebu Municipal Health Officer and Health Department Head checks up a young patient at the lobby of the newly refurbished Primary Health Facility.

Healthcare facilities are essential pillars of every community, ensuring that residents conveniently get the medical care and attention they deserve.

Dr. Alfredo P. Manugas VI, the Municipal Health Officer and Health Department Head, knows just this. Serving at the San Fernando, Cebu Primary Healthcare Facility (SFCPHF) for roughly 15 years, he has imbibed the importance of modernizing facilities to provide better services to his patients and safe workplace for his fellow health workers.

“This facility is close to my heart. Considering the length of my stay, this has become my second home,” he said. 

Dr. Manugas said that the collaboration of SM Foundation, local government unit of San Fernando, Cebu and its mayor, Mytha Ann Canoy could not have come at a much better time, especially at the heels of a global medical scare.

The facility serves over 70,000 Cebuanos from 21 different barangays, providing an array of medical services—from women's and children's health, birthing services and nutrition services, general medical consultation, family planning services to community-based rehabilitation, communicable disease programs, laboratory services, and several others.

#CollabForSocialGood 

Through the joint effort of the SM group, local government of San Fernando, Dr. Manugas and his fellow health workers can provide medical care using modern amenities and accessibility features necessary for a healthcare institution in the 21st century.

“The SM Foundation turned our facility upside down... Our Health Facility became a modern and ergonomically designed health care facility. They ensured that we have good ventilation and that we can provide comfort to both service users and service providers. In my 15 years of service this is the first time that our Health Facility had a major refurbishment,” he said.

Health care workers are now more comfortable as they deliver services in a vibrant new health center.

A mother comfortably breasts feed in a private and secure area within the facility rehabilitated by SM Foundation.

Beyond providing a clean and safe environment, the social good arm of the SM group ensured that the facility is women, children, and elderly friendly. The health facility has PWD-friendly ramps and toilets, which are also easily accessible for senior citizens, pregnant women, and individuals with special needs. There is also a mobile play cabinet and breastfeeding area designed to provide comfort to mothers and children during checkups.

San Fernando, Cebu Mayor Mytha Ann Canoy hands over the gender-neutral toy from the mobile play cabinet installed by SM Foundation

They also used air-cleaning paints, locally sourced plants and LED-powered lighting fixtures and appliances around the facility, aiming to reduce the center’s ecological footprint. The SFCPHF is also the second SMFI Health and Wellness Center to have a rainwater harvesting facility, allowing them to use non-potable, recycled water for cleaning and flushing.

Health workers provide medical care to policemen and other community members of San Fernando, Cebu.

The transformation of the SFCPHF sheds light on how collaborations for social good can bring new hope to healthcare facilities and the communities that heavily relies on them. The renewed facility not only provides a clean and safe environment but also sets a new standard for healthcare excellence in the region, ensuring a brighter, healthier future for the residents of San Fernando, Cebu.