DAGUPAN CITY (PIA) – The Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC) is bolstering its commitment to public health with the recent launch of a new Public Health Center at its annex in Barangay Bonuan Binloc, Dagupan City and the groundbreaking for a Nuclear Medicine facility.

Funded by a P20 million grant from the Department of Health’s Health Facility Enhancement Program (HFEP), the new Public Health Center will provide expanded access to essential healthcare services. 

The DOH said that the new facility, which is now open to the public, is the first Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDPC) outside Metro Manila, marking a significant milestone in Region 1’s healthcare system.

“This is the first of its kind among our hospitals. I hope that it can be expanded and equipped with all the necessary resources and facilities to serve our community better,” DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

She emphasized that one of the primary goals of the DOH is to establish specialty centers that offer state-of-the-art medical services to people in the provinces.

“The new facility includes a Gender and Development Office, a Hospital Epidemiology Center Office, a Women and Children Protection Unit, and laboratories to assist patients with complex diseases and they don’t even have to travel to big hospitals in Manila,” R1MC chief Joseph Roland Mejia said.

Meanwhile, a total of P49 million was allocated for the construction of a Nuclear Medicine Facility at the R1MC Annex, which will serve as the primary center for cancer patients, including those undergoing chemotherapy.

Vergeire said that the facility is significant as R1MC has been assigned to be the cancer center in the Ilocos region.

“The facility will be equipped with high-end diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, ensuring that patients receive timely and accurate diagnoses and treatments,” she said.

Mejia said the inauguration of the Nuclear Medicine Facility will take place in the coming weeks.

The establishment of the Public Health Unit and the Nuclear Medicine Facility reflects the commitment of the DOH and the R1MC to providing the best care possible for all.

Likewise, these initiatives are expected to keep pace with modern treatment methods and contribute to the province’s effort in addressing public health challenges and promoting overall well-being. (JCR/AMB/JCDR/AQP/PIA Pangasinan)