The health pandemic didn’t only affect COVID-19 patients all over the country, but also posed a threat to non-COVID patients. The lockdowns and restrictions prevented those with illnesses and ailments from seeking medical attention as the risks of getting infected by COVID is high when inside a medical facility.

The City Government of Malabon, led by Mayor Lenlen Oreta, thought of the best possible way to provide medical assistance to non-COVID patients efficiently while effectively taking care of Malabonians who are COVID-positive.  Thus, in October this year, the Malabon Super Health Center started to cater to the medical needs of non-COVID patients and outpatient department (OPD) cases in Barangay Catmon by providing three laboratory services – pharmacy with complete medicines, X-ray facility, and birthing facility.

The Super Health Center in Catmon offers lying-in services and the Malabon LGU sees this as an opportunity to eventually offer birthing home services to continuously reduce the risk of pregnant women being exposed to the virus. Given these services, this is not your typical health center.

“The Super Health Center project has a great impact on the public health care system of Malabon. This is accessible to every Malabonian because these super health centers are located strategically in the big barangays. This is in order to support all the people who need and seek medical attention,” says Dr. Vicente Ignacio, Asst. Chief Health Officer of the City Health Department of Malabon.

Intending to help decongest the hospitals, the Super Health Center is open from Mondays to Sundays, even holidays. It offers 24/7 service to all individuals seeking medical help.

As of the moment, with one Super Health Center accessible to the public, the daily average number of patients within eight hours is 70 to 80. These are non-COVID patients who, for example, require hydration due to diarrhea and OPD cases that need IV medication only for a few hours.

“For the other divisions of the Super Health Center, we are hoping to be able to give service at Barangay Potrero this coming November, while for Barangay Tonsuya and Longos, we are hoping for completion by February or March next year. After the completion of these three other super health centers, our target number will increase to serving 200 patients a day,” says Dr. Ignacio.

A high-quality healthcare system not only prevents illness but also improves the overall quality of life. Having access to free medication needs and laboratory services is genuinely a welcome assistance to all Malabonians especially during a pandemic.

“We are truly grateful to Mayor Oreta for prioritizing Malabon’s public health! We saw his commitment to the health of Malabonians, from the COVID-19 response to the establishment of Super Health Centers,” says Dr. Ignacio. “Even though we faced a lot of challenges during the pandemic, these accessible health centers will make all of us medical frontliners safer and our patients healthier.”