Undoubtedly it has withstood the test of time in terms of giving much needed medical service to every Filipino who needs it.

 

These are but prime examples of Ferdinand Marcos Legacy without whom will be in a very serious and chaotic situation, especially now that we have this global pandemic.

 

Many has been said by both pro and anti-Marcos, but no one can deny the importance and timely construction of these specialized hospitals that ordinary Filipinos up until now are benefitting from it.

(photo credit to Daily Tribune)

 

An editorial piece was published by the Daily Tribune which dwells upon these so called ‘Marcos hospitals’ its role in our society most especially pro and post COVID 19 scenario.

 

For purposes of public knowledge and full understanding of the article we are quoting it in full for the convenience of our reading public.

 

(photo credit to owner)

 

Marcos hospitals

 

The past spike in new Covid-19 cases in the National Capital Region is alarming. Because of the complacency of many Filipinos and the owners of dining and shopping establishments during the recent Yuletide season, the coronavirus situation in Metropolitan Manila was bleak once more, like what happened in September last year.

Fortunately, there are several hospitals to accommodate, or at least treat, the latest batch of patients. The public hospitals are of particular importance because private hospitals are very expensive.

By November 2021, the number of Covid-19 patients in public and private hospitals decreased tremendously. Unfortunately, this recent surge in Covid-19 cases changed all that. As in the middle of 2020, the hospitals got crowded again.

Aggravating the problem is the pronounced decrease in the number of available health workers. Many of them have contracted the coronavirus and have to be quarantined. Auxillary health personnel, hired for the meantime, are currently helping out.

At the core of this discussion is the fact that many of the public hospitals in the metropolis were constructed during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, with Mrs. Imelda Marcos initiating their construction.

The list includes the East Avenue Medical Center (1967); Philippine Heart Center (1975); Philippine Children’s Medical Center (1979); Lung Center of the Philippines (1981); National Kidney and Transplant Institute (1981); and the annex of the Philippine General Hospital (1981).

The East Avenue Medical Center began as the Government Service Insurance System Hospital, and was later renamed the Ospital ng Bagong Lipunan. President Marcos established it as an affordable hospital for government employees and their families. Today, it remains a destination for indigent Filipinos in need of medical attendance.

In 1975, the Philippine Heart Center (originally called the Philippine Heart Center for Asia) made world-class heart disease treatment available to many Filipinos.

Ex-Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., the most vocal critic of President Marcos, got his initial treatment at the Heart Center in 1980 after he suffered a heart attack.

Another critic of President Marcos, ex-Senator Jose Diokno, condemned the construction of the Philippine Heart Center, on the argument that tuberculosis, not heart disease, should be the priority medical concern of the government.

Diokno did not realize that President Marcos was already preparing plans for the Lung Center, a specialized medical facility for pulmonary disease, tuberculosis included, which has claimed the lives of many Filipinos since the time of Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon. As stated earlier, the Lung Center was built in 1981.

Upon the urging of the great Filipino pediatrician and philanthropist Fe del Mundo, President Marcos created the Philippine Children’s Medical Center precisely for the medical needs of young Filipinos. Ironically, many anti-Marcos radicals today were patients at this Marcos-created facility.

The National Kidney and Transplant Institute was put up to address the needs of Filipinos with renal problems. Before that, there was hardly any facility for the treatment of renal failure among Filipinos. Today, the Institute boasts world-class facilities for kidney transplants.

Work on the PGH annex began in 1981 after President and Mrs. Marcos saw the need to expand its facilities to serve a growing lower-income class population in the nation’s capital. The huge edifice was equipped with the latest medical facilities of the period, and provided medical care to indigent Filipinos at a volume and pace previously impossible.

Under the Marcos watch, the facilities of existing public hospitals like the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center; San Lazaro Hospital; Veterans Memorial Medical Center; and the Philippine Orthopedic Hospital, among others, were expanded.

Without the Marcos hospitals, the current fight against Covid-19 would have been more difficult for sure.

No other president of the country has matched President Marcos’ feat in the establishment of public hospitals in the country.

Despite those accomplishments, anti-Marcos troublemakers insist that President Marcos was a bad leader.

On the contrary, Bongbong Marcos has good reason to be proud of his father’s legacy.

 

 

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Report from Daily Tribune

 

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