Two health centers in the Northern Philippines were renovated to address the issue of inadequate healthcare facilities.
Cataggaman Pardo Health Center in Tuguegarao, Cagayan is a health center that serves 30 patients per day and covers 572 households in their vicinity.
While District-1 Health Center in Cauayan, City Isabela serves 50 patients per day, while covering 3,712 households.
Cataggaman Pardo Health Center will have its formal opening on March 22 while District-1 Health Center will open on March 23.
The two health centers will provide maternal and child health services, family planning-IUD insertion, routine immunization, flu and anti-pneumonia vaccination, and other services.
Despite the large number of people who need proper healthcare, most public hospitals and health centers have overcrowded wards, are frequently understaffed, have overstretched facilities, and have little to no available critical life-saving equipment.
As a result, many Filipinos continue to die from supposedly curable diseases due to a lack of access to quality healthcare.
This prompted the SM Foundation (SMFI) to team up with Uniqlo Philippines to assist with the renovation of the two health centers.
SMFI is a foundation that helps the country achieve economic growth by providing quality education, sustainable agriculture, healthcare, and disaster relief.
SMFI was able to establish more than 170 health and wellness centers through its Health and Wellness Pillar, serving over 4 million patients nationwide.
The renovation of Cataggaman Pardo Health Center and District-1 Health Center are two of the facilities made possible by SMFI.
Providing fully air-conditioned rooms equipped with new chairs and tables, cabinets, medicines, fixtures, medical tools, and assistive devices such as wheelchairs, as well as Emergency GoKit+ to aid in emergency response.