Martinez

Martinez thanks DU30 for VMC’s expansion

June 16, 2022 Ryan Ponce Pacpaco 300 views

DEPUTY Speaker and Valenzuela City 2nd District Rep. Eric Martinez expressed his sincerest gratitude to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for keeping his promise of expanding Valenzuela Medical Center’s (VMC) operational capacity to meet the growing needs of Valenzuelanos in its groundbreaking ceremony last May.

Martinez shared his brief conversation with the then-presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Duterte six years ago to the ceremony’s audience about his request to enhance the public hospital if he gets to Malacañang.

“Kung matatandaan mo pare (referring to Sen. Christopher ‘Bong’ Go), kinalabit ko si Tatay Digong ‘nun. Tinuro ko ‘yung ospital. Vice Mayor pa lang ninyo po ako ‘nun,” Martinez recalled.

“Sabi ko, Tatay, ‘pag ikaw na ang Presidente ng Pilipinas, iyang ospital na ‘yan, sana po’y maiayos natin. Tumango ang Tatay Digong sa ‘kin. Sabi niya, ‘Eric ‘wag ka mag-alala. Once we get to Malacañang we’ll work on it,” he followed.

Martinez pushed Republic Act (RA) No. 11327 to legislate the increase of VMC’s bed capacity from 200 to 500, adjusting to the increasing demand for public health care in the city.

The P208-million project will include an expanded Radiology Department, Operating Room Complex and Surgical Intensive Care, Hemodialysis, Chemotherapy, and Ambulatory Surgical Units.

Since the granting of VMC expansion in 2018, the hospital has constructed an Infectious Disease Clinic and Warehouse building with a 134-bed operating capacity, two emergency rooms – one for infectious and another for non-infectious diseases, and a “Malasakit Center”.

For these reasons, Martinez is very much thankful to President Duterte and Sen. Bong Go, who sponsored the bill for the VMC expansion project; Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian and Valenzuela City 1st District Wes Gatchalian, who were co-authors, and Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian, who spearheaded the local government efforts on the realization of the project.

“Muli, maraming-maraming salamat po aming minamahal na Pangulo Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” Martinez exclaimed.

Currently, VMC specializes in neonatal, geriatrics, dermatology, ophthalmology, trauma, burn management, cancer care, stroke care, emerging and re-emerging infectious disease, and hemodialysis.

Target to be completed by June 2023, VMC aims to become the “People’s Choice” by 2028 through its “mission” of providing institutionalized patient-centered and pandemic-resilient health care.

The office of Sen. Bong Go kick-started the project through the Department of Health’s (DOH) Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP).

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