ALABEL, Sarangani -- Provincial Health Officer Dr. Arvin Alejandro said his office is proposing for additional “super health centers” under the Department of Health’s (DOH) Health Facility Enhancement Program to “bring services closer to Sarangans.”

These, he said, would be in addition to the super health centers in Glan and Kiamba which construction are about to commence under the auspices of Governor Rogelio “Ruel” D. Pacquiao.

Dr. Alejandro hoped for each of the province’s seven towns to have super health center.

A super health center, Dr. Alejandro said, is “actually a health center with birthing services, imaging services like x-ray, ultrasound and dental services” which are not available at the municipal health centers.

Each costs P11-million, he said.

Since 2011, Dr. Alejandro accounted some P680-million that the DOH had provided to Sarangani under HFEP.

HFEP provides funding to the local government units for the improvement of public health facilities by constructing new and for upgrading and rehabilitating existing public health facilities including barangay health stations, rural health units, and government hospitals.

“This is basically for the physical structure of any health facility including the equipment,” Dr. Alejandro said. “The local government unit’s counterpart are the manpower and operational requirement.”

He said the provincial government is receiving not less than P30-million annually from HFEP. For 2021, Sarangani was granted some P100-million for the improvement of barangay health stations, rural health units, and for the construction of the two super health centers.

Starting 2023, Dr. Alejandro said the HFEP would be partially devolved to the provincial government. He pointed out the need for the Provincial Health Office to put up an HFEP unit “to take charge of all the planning, maintenance and supervision sa lahat ng hospitals natin, our health centers at the municipality, and the provincial hospitals.” (Beverly C. Paoyon/SARANGANI PROVINCIAL INFORMATION OFFICE)