THE SOUTHERN Philippines Medical Center officially opens the Veterans Ward in Davao City for Filipino war heroes residing in Mindanao.
During the inauguration and blessing of the 3LT Silvestre Q. Gavina Veterans Ward at SPMC, Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) administrator Reynaldo B. Mapagu expressed his gratitude for the newly established wing.
“Napaka importante kase we only have one veterans [ward] sa Memorial Medical Center located pa yan sa Quezon City. So if you are based in Mindanao, napakalayo diba? So gagawin natin ngayon to make the health care or medical care para sa mga veterans more accessible to them,” he said.
The facility caters to 15 to 18 beds with free medical services such as MRI, CT scan, surgery, and others.
Mapagu clarified that the Veterans Ward is open to all Filipino veterans who are in Mindanao regardless if they are from Luzon or Visayas.
“Kahit saan, basta kung nandito may emergency pwedeng dalhin dito even if you are not from this area. It’s open for veterans and their qualified dependents,” he said
He also bared the plan to build similar wards across the country in line with the Department of Health’s target to establish 24 such services. There are already two in Mindanao—one in Cagayan de Oro and another in Davao City.
The Veterans Ward at SPMC began its construction in 2019 but was delayed in 2020 due to COVID-19.
