Care that carries on
Philippine Navy staff and medical personnel at the facade of the newly renovated Naval Base Rafael Ramos Medical and Dental Dispensary.
It is said that the best kind of care is the one that does not discriminate.
Regardless of status in life, every Filipino deserves to receive only the best when it comes to their health and well-being.
And while this remains a vision for many, some are now already closer to achieving that goal.
In Cebu, two health facilities have recently received comprehensive upgrades that transformed them into facilities that serve communities. Among them is the Primary Care Facility in the municipality of San Remigio, located in the northern part of the province.
Destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013, the health facility was first rehabilitated with the support of SM Foundation in 2015.
Dr. Orleta Ursal, municipal health officer of San Remigio, credited the said initiative as the reason for her decision to stay in government service.
“I was thinking of going back to private practice. We were hit by Yolanda. The services were not good. I became so stressed and depressed,” Ursal recalled. “When SM Foundation came in, they made it beautiful and made it look like a private clinic. I decided to stay for good.”
Over a decade later, SM Foundation went back to San Remigio for the second phase of the project.
A doctor attends to a patient at the newly renovated San Remigio Primary Care Facility 1.
Although the initial rehabilitation had already enabled the facility to provide the services needed by the community, Ursal admitted that there are still challenges, such as handling the influx of patients who either have to wait outside or crowd the facility’s small waiting area.
“‘Yung init, nakaapekto rin sa aming trabaho. Pag masyadong mainit, hindi kami maka-concentrate,” she said.
The latest upgrade transformed the center into a full-fledged Primary Care Facility, with a redesigned layout and updated medical equipment.
An elderly patient is happily served by a staff member of the San Remigio Primary Care Facility’s Pharmacy Section.
Sustainable features have also been added, including a rainwater-harvesting system, energy-efficient lighting, air-cleaning paints, and enhanced greenery.
For Ursal, the upgrades will enable them to comply with the requirements needed for the renewal of their accreditation as a Primary Care Facility next year. This, in turn, will allow their team to focus on their primary objective: to care for the people of San Remigio.
The San Remigio Primary Care Facility has a designated handwashing area and water catchment facility that ensure cleanliness among its personnel and their surroundings.
Caring for our carers
Meanwhile, in Lapu-Lapu City, SM Foundation partnered with the Makati Medical Center Foundation (MMCF) and the Philippine Navy to upgrade the Medical and Dental Dispensary of the Naval Base Rafael Ramos (NBRR).
Patients undergo dental care and treatment using high-quality facilities and devices at the Naval Base Rafael Ramos Medical and Dental Dispensary’s Endodontic and Prosthodontics Sections.
“Our primary mission is to conserve and preserve the fighting strength of our units to ensure combat readiness in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” said LtC Jasmin Iligan MC, who is the medical officer of the facility.
“One of our challenges was the lack of laboratory services and adequate rooms to ensure patient comfort, and because of this, our efficiency in delivering services to patients was limited,” she added.
A soldier undergoes an electrocardiogram procedure facilitated by a Philippine Navy health personnel at the Naval Base Rafael Ramos Medical and Dental Dispensary.
From originally occupying just 99 square meters, the renovation allowed the dispensary to expand to 446 square meters, maximizing the structure originally intended for a hospital.
A key improvement, according to Iligan, was the availability of observation rooms for patients needing short-term care.
“These rooms allow us to monitor them for less than 24 hours and quickly determine if they require full hospital admission or are fit to return to work, making our service more efficient and patient-centered,” she said.
The much-larger facility also now features a minor surgical room and a dental section, as well as a better layout for the laboratory, pharmacy, emergency room, radiology services, and an expanded outpatient department, among others.
Military health personnel of the Naval Base Rafael Ramos Medical and Dental Dispensary attend to a patient for his medical treatment.
MMCF donated medical equipment, while SM Foundation introduced its DigiKonsulta platform to support teleconsultations and digitized patient records.
“With the upgraded facilities, patients have gained greater confidence in the services we provide. The improvements not only expanded our capacity but also elevated the overall environment of the dispensary,” Iligan said.
“As many have expressed, ‘Lumaki at gumanda ang dispensary natin,’ which reflects how the new facilities have created a sense of pride, trust, and comfort among patients and personnel alike,” she added.
This effort builds on SM Foundation’s earlier initiative at the Naval Station Julhasan Arasain Medical and Dental Dispensary in Legazpi City.
Better care for all
Whether in San Remigio or at the Naval Base Rafael Ramos, the message is clear: every patient deserves only the best.
Ursal expressed belief that the upgraded facility will dispel the mindset that government health centers lack what private hospitals can provide.
“‘Di na sila matatakot pumunta sa health center. Pagpasok pa lang nila, they will see that they will get better. Sa environment pa lang, maiiba ‘yung mindset nila,” she said, referring to the patients.
“Public health centers are often compared with private facilities, and this facility proves it can measure up. It is a very beautiful, healthy working place, and it helps with our mental health,” she added.
At the NBRR Medical and Dental Dispensary, Iligan said the enhanced confidence in the health facility’s capabilities would translate to patients “seeking care earlier and more willingly.”
“Patients are happier and more confident with the care they receive, and this positive change uplifts us, medical officers as well,” she said. “Seeing patients recover with a better outlook reinforces our sense of purpose, inspires us to go the extra mile, and boosts us to deliver high-quality service.”
