MANILA -- President Rodrigo Roa Duterte led the inauguration Wednesday of the new Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, hoping that the facility will continue to be a leading provider of healthcare and training on reproductive, maternal, neonatal and pediatric health in the country.

In his message during the inauguration rites held at the facility’s new home at the San Lazaro Compound in Sta. Cruz, Manila, President Duterte expressed his gratitude to the Department of Health (DOH), and the hospital management and staff for their efforts to construct a new and improved hospital.

“I hope that this facility will continue to be a top-notch government healthcare and training institution focused on reproductive, maternal, neonatal and pediatric health,” he said.

“I am also optimistic that projects such as this will have a long-lasting positive impact to many generations of Filipinos.”

He also highlighted in his message the importance of a functional and responsive healthcare system through the learnings that the country’s medical professionals experienced while facing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The President encouraged the nation’s medical frontliners to take heed of those lessons for them to serve the people better.

“To this end, I encourage our healthcare workers to remain steadfast in your noble task of promoting our people’s health and saving lives. Your efforts, especially in the past two years, have truly been heroic — for this, you have the full support and the eternal gratitude of the Filipino people.”

The new P2-billion Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital is a government-funded project under the Department of Health-Health Facilities Enhancement Program (DOH-HFEP).

Its mandates include providing maternal, neonatal and child health services, and is also considered as a leading medical facility in reproductive health in healthcare providers network (HPCN) by virtue of the Universal Health Care Act.

With the opening of the 800-bed capacity building, the new Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital will initially provide out-patient services such as laboratory, x-ray (including mammography), blood donation services and consultations.

Other services such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), CT-scan, dialysis, minimally invasive surgery and a number of laboratory tests will also be offered to the public.

The hospital will also open a maternal-fetal intensive care unit (MAFICU) to maximize fetal growth in-utero and minimize neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions and ensure better newborn survival.

To accommodate more patients including small or low birth weight and premature babies, the facility’s bed occupancy for neonatal intensive care unit was doubled.

Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital is a human milk banking proponent and also offers comprehensive family planning services.

It maintains a School of Midwifery, which is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year. In-person classes in the new building, together with other training programs, will also soon commence, according to its management. (PND)