President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday inspected the newly opened Pampanga Provincial Hospital (PPH)-Clark, the first public hospital inside the Clark Freeport Zone, as the facility works to secure accreditation from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
Marcos toured the 9,259-square-meter hospital, checked its facilities and services, and visited patients already admitted..
The three-story government hospital, located at Changi Gateway in Clark City Global, officially opened on April 29. It has a 143-bed capacity, including 17 private rooms, 16 semi-private rooms, and 110 ward beds.
The Department of Health (DOH) has classified PPH-Clark as a Level II hospital, allowing it to serve not only residents of Pampanga but also workers, investors, and business locators within the Clark Freeport Zone, which has more than 151,000 employees.
The hospital is equipped with modern diagnostic and medical equipment, including CT scan units, X-ray machines, endoscopy systems, and mammogram equipment.
It also offers services in obstetrics and gynecology, intensive care, neonatal intensive care, radiology, laboratory, pulmonary, cardiovascular, dental, dietary, and other ancillary services.
PPH-Clark is seeking PhilHealth accreditation so it can provide Yaman ng Kalusugan Program, or YAKAP, services. The program is an enhanced outpatient primary care benefit that covers free medical consultations, laboratory tests, screenings, and medicines.
The hospital inspection came a day after Marcos met with the Private Sector Advisory Council Healthcare Sector in Malacañang to review gains under the administration’s healthcare agenda.
During the meeting, officials reported that more than 1.6 million patients had benefited from PhilHealth programs as of February, with 87 hospitals already implementing the zero-balance billing program.
PhilHealth’s Guaranteed and Accessible Medications for Outpatient Treatment, or GAMOT, program has also accredited 2,026 pharmacies and served more than 171,000 beneficiaries, covering P238.23 million worth of medicines as of this month.
After visiting the hospital, Marcos proceeded to the Clark Picnic Grounds for the launch of the Bawat Bayan Makikinabang: Pampanga program, where he led the distribution of rice and financial assistance.
The President turned over P107.6 million in financial assistance to 538 barangays in Pampanga and Angeles City. Each barangay received P200,000.
He also led the distribution of 10 kilos of rice to targeted beneficiaries under the Bagong Pilipinas Rice Program.
The program is expected to benefit 187,455 residents in Pampanga, including indigenous peoples, solo parents, farm workers, persons with disabilities, and low-income families. Beneficiaries will receive 10 kilos of rice every two months, or six times a year.
Marcos also met with 400 of the 2,525 Bagong Pilipinas Barangay Scholars from Pampanga and distributed P20,000 in educational assistance sourced from the Socio-Civic Projects Fund.
The President urged the scholars to become partners of the government in building a “Bagong Pilipinas.”
Among those present during the event were Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda, Pampanga Association of Barangay Captains chair and Board Member Benjamin Angeles, Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin II, and Angeles City ABC chair Danilo Nacu.