Mayor Tacoy says facility to be completed in 3 months
MATAG-OB, Leyte– A ‘super health’ center is set to be constructed in this town, 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.
Mayor Bernardino Tacoy stated that the new facility will be built at the town center, adjacent to the existing rural health unit (RHU) building.
“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 tests such as blood and urinalysis, diagnostic tests for infectious diseases, X-ray services, birthing and lying-in services, and basic dental care, among others.
“This super health facility is one facility that is closest for us to have a hospital which Matag-ob does not have at present,” the town mayor said.
However, Tacoy disclosed that Leyte Rep. Richard Gomez of the 4th district has attempted to transfer the location to Barangay Sta. Rosa instead at the town proper.
The mayor opposed this proposal, arguing that placing the health center in Sta. Rosa would not effectively serve the town’s residents.
“Sta. 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.
Tacoy has already ordered the demolition of an old building to make way for the construction of the two-story health facility. If all goes according to plan, the center is expected to be completed by April of this year.
He also assured Matag-ob residents that the project will proceed as planned despite the upcoming elections, as its funding was allocated last year and a notice to proceed has already been issued by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Tacoy shared that he initially requested the DOH to build the health center as early as 2022 to supplement their existing rural health office. The new facility will significantly enhance healthcare services for Matag-ob’s more than 18,000 residents.
Meanwhile, the mayor expressed gratitude to 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 (DTTB)’ program.
“We currently have only one doctor serving our town, and this addition will greatly strengthen our efforts to provide medical assistance to our people,” Tacoy said.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
