President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday inaugurated the Brain and Spine Center of the Cagayan Valley Medical Center (VCMC) in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, as part of the government’s efforts to make quality healthcare more accessible to Filipinos.
In his keynote speech, Marcos emphasized the importance of establishing a specialty center that offers comprehensive care for patients suffering from neurological and spinal disorders.
Marcos said the newly inaugurated facility would benefit residents of Cagayan Valley and nearby provinces, noting that there is no need for them to travel to Metro Manila to avail of specialized neurological and spinal treatment.
“Nasa Maynila lahat. ‘Yung brain and spine, wala (Everything is concentrated in Manila. For brain and spine care, we have none). We don’t have a specialty hospital for that,” he said.
Marcos stressed the need to create specialty centers, capable of delivering accurate diagnosis and advanced treatment for neurological and spinal conditions.
He added that the country must apply the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future health crises.
“Matuto na tayo. Kahit papano, kung hindi man Covid, ibang klaseng magiging problema ang dadating kaya dapat medyo maghanda na tayo. Matuto na tayo sa mga leksyon na tinuro sa atin ng Covid (We should learn now. Even if it’s not Covid, some other kind of problem may come in the future, so we should at least start preparing ourselves. We should learn from the lessons that Covid taught us),” Marcos said.
The three-story Brain and Spine Center of the VCMC enhances CVMC’s capabilities in stroke intervention, neurodiagnostics, neurosurgery, and intensive neurological care.
The state-of-the-art facility is equipped with modern technology and advanced diagnostic capabilities, including an operating microscope, high-speed craniotomy drill, neuroendoscopy tower, ultrasonic aspirator system, electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyography (EMG), transcranial Doppler, and brain monitoring systems.(PNA)
