Infrastructure overhaul improves conditions for patients, medical personnel in Cebu

It is said that the best kind of care is the one that does not discriminate.

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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.

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.