Rep. Ray T. Reyes of Anakalusugan on Monday called for more specialized centers in provinces after a recent study showed that the Philippines has one of the lowest screening rates for breast and cervical cancer.
“Many of our people in the provinces do not have access to specialized medical services to treat illnesses like cancer,” he said.
Reyes, vice chair of the House Committee on Health, filed House Bill 3134 of the “Regional Specialty Hospitals Act” to give people access to hospitals providing specialized healthcare services including cancer care.
The lawmaker cited a study conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) which showed that only about 1 percent or 540,000 out of 54 million women undergo cancer screening.
He lamented that in most cases, patients go for screening only when they are already in the late stages of the disease.
Under the proposed bill, branches of specialty centers such as the Philippine Cancer Center, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, the Philippine Heart Center, the Lung Center of the Philippines, and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) will be established across the country.
Reyes cited the need to give the public a diagnostic test to enable them to treat the disease at an early stage.
“We should bring these specialty centers closer to our people and reassure our kababayans that wherever you are in the Philippines, you can have access to affordable, specialized care,” Reyes added.
He stressed: “We need to make these accessible to people in the provinces and unburden them from the unnecessary travel and other expenses in order for them to avail of these much needed services.”