St. Vincent General Hospital (SVGH) has opened a Kalusugan Center in Cebu City that will provide PhilHealth members easier access to free consultations, some laboratory tests and medicines, in a move aimed at encouraging earlier medical care.
The facility, inaugurated on April 10 near the Cebu City Sports Center in Sambag I, allows patients to register, undergo an initial consultation, see a doctor and access laboratory services in one location, hospital administrator Nina Angela Darcera said.
The center will deliver services under PhilHealth’s YAKAP and GAMOT programs, which are designed to improve access to primary care and medicines, including maintenance drugs for patients with chronic illnesses.
SVGH said the center is linked to its sister hospital, University of Cebu Medical Center, allowing patients to be referred for free cancer screening, expanding access to diagnostic services that are often costly for low-income families.
Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival, North District Representative Rachel Marguerite “Cutie” del Mar, hospital chairman Augusto Go, local councilors, barangay officials and PhilHealth regional representatives attended the opening ceremony.
Archival said the facility would bring healthcare services closer to residents by making consultations, medicines and laboratory services more accessible and affordable.
Go said the center was intended to reduce delays in seeking treatment, noting that many Filipinos only consult a doctor once symptoms have worsened because of financial concerns.
The opening forms part of SVGH’s broader push to expand community-based healthcare in Cebu through investments in facilities and equipment, the hospital said.
The Kalusugan Center is located along R.R. Landon Extension in Sambag I, near Osmeña Boulevard.
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