ANGELES CITY (PIA) -- The city government renewed its commitment to provide quality healthcare services to all Angeleños. 
 
Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. said that almost 25 percent of the city’s annual budget was allocated to health service for 2023. 
 
Of which, P260 million was allotted to the Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center (RLMMC); P157 million for the City Health Office; P90 million for the Renal Care Unit; and another P50 million for the procurement of medicines, including Vitamin C for senior citizens. 
 
“This is the highest allocation the city government has made for health service. This amount represents only the operation of the city hospital and health centers. We also allocated an additional P70 million for the repair of primary care facilities in Barangay Pulung Bulu, Sapang Bato, Pulung Maragul, Cutud, Pampang, Anunas, Capaya, Amsic, Tabun, and Malabanias. These primary health units will be completed by October 2024. Meanwhile another P50 million will be used to procure equipment for these facilities,” he shared. 
 
In line with its vision of making primary care within the reach of every Angeleño, the city government is also set to hire additional health doctors, dentists, midwives, nurses, medical technologists, and pharmacists in 2024. 
 
“We recognize the dire need of our constituents for additional dialysis machine. Planning is at its full swing to put up 17 additional dialysis machines on top of the 22 that we are now operating. This will accommodate indigent patients who are in our waiting list. We are assuring you that health is on the way,” Lazatin stressed. 
 
The mayor also shared that the seven-storey RLMMC will be operational next year to accommodate around 70,000 patients admitted annually in the facility. 
 
Healthcare for women, Lazatin added, will now be made accessible with the provision of free pap smear and free breast cancer screening to all Angeleña mothers. 
 
In terms of its ongoing Covid-19 response efforts, Angeles City was hailed one of the most efficient by the Department of Health with a total of 410,163 vaccinated individuals. 
 
“Our Covid-19 response remained unrelentless. We have procured additional ambulance to provide immediate assistance to COVID-19 patients. We have a total of nine ambulance operated by the Angeles City Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Office. COVID positive patients are still being monitored by our healthcare workers, while medicines are being provided by the Office of the Mayor,” Lazatin said. 
 
Meanwhile, he also lauded the dedication of frontline medical workers, disaster responders, and rescue teams who bravely face the threats of Covid-19 and other illnesses on a daily basis to save many lives. 
 
“Since the city was hit by a virus, these individuals have relentlessly been working for the safety of the public. Overseeing the welfare of the city during these trying times is a gargantuan task, a seemingly impossible mission to accomplish if I am all by myself. But with the help of our hardworking city government employees and with our unwavering support, we were able to survive the challenging times since March 2020,” he said. (CLJD/MJSC-PIA 3 with Gloomy Rain Domingo, intern)