• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Hope just transferred to a new home, Dr. Joan Cerrada, medical center chief II of Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, said during the inauguration of the two-storey CLMMRH-DOH Cancer Care Center in Bacolod City Aug. 20.
The center is equipped to deliver IV (intravenous) chemotherapy, bone marrow biopsies, lumbar punctures, intrathecal chemo, child life services, and seamless referrals for radiotherapy.
It is envisioned to become the hub for comprehensive oncology services in the Negros Island Region, bringing quality care closer to communities and ensuring that no patient is left behind in the fight against cancer.
“Cancer is presently the second highest cause of mortality among Filipinos – it becomes a primary health concern. So, it is important that cancer care should be accessible, comprehensive, and affordable,” Cerrada stressed.
The facility, expected to start operations on Aug. 26, will be a one-stop-shop for patients and their families since it also has a child life program clinic, survivorship/quality of life clinic, oncology pharmacy, DOH-PHIC access office, billing/medical, social services stations, and counseling, among others.
“This new Cancer Care Center is for our families and friends, who have passed away with cancer. (And) this is for our patients now, who are brave and bold in battling cancer head on,” Cerrada said, adding the facility, eyed to become the apex of a regional cancer care network in Negros Island Region, aims to provide access to more patients and give them better experience.
Mayor Greg Gasataya, who helped lobby for the project’s realization when he was still congressman of Bacolod, said this first-ever public Cancer Care Center in the NIR is “a sanctuary for healing and a place of hope for Bacolodnon and Negrosanon cancer patients.”
“Many of our people, especially our indigent brothers and sisters, were fighting cancer without access to specialized care. Some were forced to travel far, suffer in silence, or even forego treatment altogether,” he said. “This is one of our solutions to make quality and accessible healthcare readily available for our people. We hope that this center becomes a light in the fight against cancer for today and generations to come.”
Dr. Razel Nikka Hao, regional director of the Department of Health-NIR, said the true measure of the center will not be in its inauguration, but in the lives it saves, the families it keeps whole, and the dignity it restores to people at their most vulnerable.
“This is a milestone not only for the hospital, not only for Negros Island Region, but for the country’s fight against cancer,” Hao stressed as she recalled listening to patients who spoke of the pain of traveling to Manila for treatment, the exhaustion of navigating fragmented systems, and the fear of running out of money before running out of hope.
“(The opening of) this center is not the finish line—it is the starting point of a higher standard. From today forward, CLMMRH carries the mandate to lead, to train, to mentor, to set the pace for cancer care in Negros,” Hao said as she vowed that DOH-NIR “will stand behind this mandate—aligning resources, building systems, and holding ourselves accountable to the patients who will walk through these doors.” ||
