Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya said Thursday the city government will hire more medical doctors to be deployed to the nine new health centers that will open in various barangays.

Of the nine health facilities, which were built based on his request coursed through the Department of Public Works and Highways, five have been completed while construction of the other four is ongoing.

“The doctors will come from the city. The mayor (Alfredo Abelardo Benitez) already instructed the city health officer to hire additional doctors for the health centers,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Department of Health’s “PinasLakas” launch at the Carlos Hilado Memorial State University Alijis campus here.

The new health centers are located in barangays Punta Taytay, Cabug, Mansilingan, Taculing, Villamonte, Felisa, Banago, Mandalagan, and Montevista, which are the largest among the 61 villages in the city.

“Probably before the end of the year, these will all be operational. The city will also facilitate putting the equipment in place. We will just ask for additional from the government if needed,” Gasataya said.

The opening of the new health centers will bring the government’s health services closer to the people, he said, adding that he also discussed with Benitez his proposal to assign doctors for daily duty, not just once or twice a week.

“If residents need medical check-up, they wouldn’t have to go to the City Health Office or to the hospitals. They can just go to the nearest barangay health center. There should be doctors assigned to the health centers regularly, on a daily basis, as much as possible,” he said. (PNA)