The provincial government of Pangasinan continues to strengthen its healthcare system through expanded medical services, upgraded equipment, and increased access to care, in line with the Universal Health Care (UHC) law.

In his State of the Province Address on Saturday, Governor Ramon Guico III highlighted major strides in health services since 2022, including the purchase of 19 stationary and mobile X-ray machines, 21 ultrasound machines, seven CT (computed tomography) scanners, and one magnetic resonance imaging equipment (MRI) unit.

“If we do not have them, or if we do not have to upgrade them, our hospitals will continue to operate in the stone age, but not anymore. We want nothing less than the best for the hospitals of Pangasinan,” Guico said.

He said dialysis centers were also established in Western Pangasinan District Hospital, and are being established in Bayambang and Lingayen District Hospitals with facilities and equipment in progress and pending Department of Health (DOH) licensing.

He added that the new Umingan Community Hospital is almost complete and soon to serve patients from eastern Pangasinan and neighboring areas, while another community hospital is being planned in Alcala town.

“We never stopped repairing and renovating our hospital facilities, especially our kitchen to provide clean and durable, patient-friendly and convenient provincial government hospitals. This is non-negotiable. For example, we will not allow food for our patients to be cooked in dirty and dilapidated kitchens, and we make sure that our hospitals have their own washing machines,” he added.

He reported that over 470 healthcare workers have been hired across the province’s 14 hospitals.

The provincial government has also registered more than one million Pangasinenses in the Philippine Health Insurance Inc. (PhilHealth’s) Konsulta program through the Government Unified Incentives for Medical Consultation (Guiconsulta), which was launched last quarter of 2024.

Konsulta (consult) package is a nationwide primary care benefit package that provides consultations, health risk screenings, selected laboratory tests and medicines in order to assist in early detection of illnesses and affordable care.

The provincial Guiconsulta initiative offers cash incentives to help cover transportation and meals during registration and consultations.

PhilHealth has lauded the program and encouraged other local government units to follow Pangasinan’s lead. (PNA)