CREATION OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR GERIATRIC HEALTH AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE, SOUGHT BY REVILLA IN CONGRESS

Conscious that senior citizens are a vulnerable segment of the population who are at high risk of contracting diseases due to their advanced age, weaker immunity, and various comorbidities, Sen. Revilla filed Senate Bill No. 27 seeking to expand the National Center for Geriatric Health which is currently under the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center.

The bill will be the State's faithful compliance to its mandate under the Constitution to adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which shall endeavor to make essential goods, health, and other social services available to all people. Social justice being at the heart of the Constitution demands that in providing these services, priority should be given to vulnerable sectors such as the elderly.

The National Center for Geriatric Health and Research Institute (NCGHRI) is envisioned to become the leading teaching, research, and training hospital specializing in geriatric care, and serve as an apex hospital for senior citizens in the country.

According to the projections calculated by the Philippine Statistics Authority, there will be 11,717,000 senior citizens in the country by the year 2025; 14,245,000 in 2030; and 16,833,000 in 2035. NCGHRI would be able to assist in providing health care services to the ballooning number of senior citizens in the country.

“As we have seen in the COVID-19 pandemic, health concerns of our senior citizens require special care and urgent attention. It is important that a special health facility which will focus on their specific medical conditions be created and institutionalized. With this proposed measure, our dear senior citizens would have a specialized facility where their medical concerns can be swiftly addressed.”, Senator Revilla said.

PAGBUO NG NATIONAL CENTER FOR GERIATRIC HEALTH AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE, ISINULONG NI REVILLA

INIHAIN ni Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. ang Senate Bill No. 27 na naglalayong mapalawak ang National Center for Geriatric Health na kasalukuyang nasa pamamahala ng Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center upang mabilis at matiyak na matutugunan ang pangangailangang medikal ng mga lolo at lola.

Ayon kay Revilla, sa Pilipinas ay kasama sa pinaka-bulnerableng sektor ang mga senior citizens na may mataas na tsansa na mahawa sa mga karamdaman dahil sa kanilang katandaan kaya’t napapanahon na agad matukoy at matugunan ang kanilang kalusugan at pangangailangang medikal sa isang specialized facility.

Kinikilala ng naturang panukala ang probisyon na nakapaloob sa Konstitusyon na nag-aatas sa Estado na magkaroon ng komprehensibong pagtugon sa kalusugan, at magbigay ng iba't-ibang serbisyo sa ating mga kababayan, lalong-lalo na sa mga senior citizens.

Ang National Center for Geriatric Health and Research Institute (NCGHRI) ay inaral at isinulat upang manguna sa pagtuturo, research, at pagsasanay sa ospital na paghuhusayin at tututok sa geriatric care at magsisilbing direktang pagamutan para sa senior citizens sa bansa.

Ayon sa datos ng Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), ay aabot sa 11,717,000 ang senior citizens sa bansa sa taong 2025; 14,245,000 sa taong 2030; at 16,833,000 na sa taong 2035 kung kaya't malaki umano ang maitutulong ng NCGHRI sa pagbibigay ng serbisyong pagkalusugan sa lumulobong bilang ng senior citizens sa Pinas.

“Naranasan na natin noong kasagsagan ng pandemya, na ang mga senior citizen ay nangangailangan ng espesyal na atensiyon at mabilis na pagtugon kaya mahalaga na magkaroon ng special health facility na tututok o para lamang sa tukoy na karamdaman ng mga may edad. Dito, sila mismo ang prayoridad at hasa ang mga empleyado nito sa pangangailangang medikal ng mga matatanda.” paliwanag ni Revilla.

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