President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led on Tuesday the launching of the country’s first lung transplant at the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) in Quezon City where he reminded healthcare professionals of their commitment to the Filipino people.
“Let us remember that healthcare is our covenant with the people, a public commitment driven by neither political agenda nor personal legacy projects. In this hospital where heroes walked and worked, may this program be a testament to our unwavering duty to serve the Filipinos,” President Marcos said in his speech.
The President made the remarks during the launching of the LCP and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) program where he also led the ribbon cutting ceremony to signify the launching of the program and visited the event’s photo exhibit showcasing LCP’s milestone.
Marcos is the second president, next to his father and namesake, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., who visited the institution.
The NKTI and LCP initiated the creation of a joint lung transplant program on November 25, 2022 through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to develop a lung transplant manual that addresses barriers such as lack of infrastructure and organ donation and allocation system, limited access to trained personnel and financial constraints.
Records showed pneumonia and other forms of respiratory diseases were among the top 20 causes of mortality among Filipinos from January to July 2023 while acute lower respiratory tract infection and tuberculosis (TB) also remain among the top causes of illness in the country.
As part of the program, the LCP has been improving its infrastructure capacity, which includes the renovation of its post-anesthesia care unit worth PhP4.2 million and surgical intensive care unit amounting to PhP1.8 million, which will be funded through the 2024 General Appropriations Act and private sector donations.
In his speech, President Marcos extended his gratitude to the NKTI and the LCP for unwavering commitment to the healthcare system of the Philippines and to the people, especially during those trying times when the country was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Nais naming ipaabot ang aming taus-pusong pasasalamat dahil sa inyong katapangan, your gallant acts do not fade with time, then gratitude has no expiry date either. In LCP and NKTI, these words ring true: ‘Never was so much owed by so many to so few’,” President Marcos said.
“The partnership between LCP and NKTI can be a template in which hospitals pool their resources and share assets to boost patient care and improve bottom lines. The launch of the LCP and the NKTI Lung Transplant Program is an application of the proven maxim that two heads – two hospitals – are better than one,” he added.
President Marcos expressed confidence that the LCP and the NKTI will succeed with its project.
The LCP and the NKTI were created in 1981 through Presidential Decree No. 1823 to address the respiratory health problems in the Philippines and to help the Filipino people afflicted with kidney and allied diseases, respectively.
Before concluding his speech, the President highlighted significant developments in the healthcare sector as he stressed the government is training doctors through the “Doctors to the Barrios Program” “because their development is critical to the realization of universal healthcare.”
The President added the government has established 131 functional specialty centers nationwide, of which, nine are designated lung specialty centers. A total of 179 medical specialty centers, seven of which are dedicated to lung centers, are set to be established by 2028.
President Marcos said the administration is addressing the current shortage of nurses through the expanded nursing education program of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Health (DOH) to provide competent, committed and compassionate care to the Filipino people. PND
