City government refuses to use completed Diagnostic Center
A Team Belen-Bryan supporter holds up a poster to welcome the motorcade in her barangay. (Punchphoto by Butch Uka)
DAGUPAN under the current city administration plans to build its own public hospital, yet for no reason at all except political, it does not like to use the Diagnostic Center with a Lying-in facility and birthing station located in Barangay Herrero Perez East that could have been a big boon to all Dagupeños, especially the poor.
Built by the city with the help of the Department of Health, the construction of the two-storey Diagnostic Center was completed in 2019. But when the new city administration took over, it refused to make use of it for the flimsiest reason – it was built by Belen Fernandez.
Fernandez said the Diagnostic Center was one of her legacy projects that could have been fully utilized to benefit Dagupenos during the pandemic.
She said without the Diagnostic Center, indigent Dagupenos were deprived of free X-ray, CT Scan, ECG, ultra sound and blood test that are costly if undertaken by private hospitals or clinics.
Aside from having a state-of-the arts x-ray machine and laboratory equipment, the Diagnostic Center is complemented by a birthing station that has a labor and delivery room and a three-bed capacity ward.
Fernandez said the Diagnostic Center was intended to be open for 24/7 in order to help more Dagupeños with health issues.
It can be recalled that Fernandez’ predecessor, then Mayor Benjamin Lim, attempted to build a hospital on a lot occupied by the Juan P. Guadiz Elementary School in Poblacion Oeste.
But the project failed to take off as the Department of Education (DepEd) that owns the land occupied by Juan P. Guadiz Elementary School did not agree to swap its property with the three-storey school building built by Lim at the City Engineering Compound.
Another pressing problem raised by residents to former Mayor Fernandez during her campaign sortkmjkies in the barangays was their inability to get free medicines and vitamins from the City Health Office due to shortage of these items.
They said during Fernandez’ time, the CHO never run out of medicines for hypertension and diabetes, among others, and vitamins. (Leonardo Micua)
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