It was a beautiful day on Thursday, April 19, as it was the day the Rural Health Unit II in Brgy. Wawa officially opened the door to its newly built birthing facility. It is a facility that is open 24/7.

Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao led municipal and barangay officials in the inauguration ceremony inside the RHU II premises. “Magpasalamat tayo sa Diyos sa bago na namang blessing na ito … na nagpapalapit sa mga serbisyo ng Munisipyo sa mga barangay.”

The head of RHU II, Dr. Adrienne Estrada, led her staff in welcoming the guests. Among those present were the different Punong Barangay from the 30 catchment barangays of RHU II led by Brgy. Wawa’s PB Melecio Junio; the retired director of Bayambang District Hospital, Dr. Nicolas Miguel; Municipal Health Board Executive Director, Dr. Henry Fernandez; Municipal Health Officer, Dr. Paz F. Vallo; and the different LGU department heads.

Dr. Estrada thanked Mayor CTQ for his all-out support for the construction of the facility, together with his support for RHU II’s earlier expansion project, its own TB-DOTS clinic expansion, new equipment acquisitions, its laboratory’s license to operate (gaining it a secondary-level lab status), its recent PhilHealth accreditation, and the availability of dental services daily from Mondays through Fridays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In response, Mayor CTQ said “we should thank Dr. Estrada because these are all her own initiatives really. We were just there to provide support.”

“Ideally, there should be a doctor per 20,000 people. Bayambang has a population of 120,000, so we should have six doctors.” Right now we have only two (municipal] doctors, with the remainder filled up by private practitioners, he added. “With the construction of RHU III in Carungay, thanks to the lot donation of Carungay PB Virgilio T. Romano’s brother, and RHU IV in Macayocayo, thanks to the Macayocayo Barangay Council’s lot donation, mababawas-bawasan ang area of coverage ng RHU II.”

The blessing ceremony was led by Fr. Edsel Silva of Wawa’s San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish Church. “Ito ay isang konkretong pagtulong sa mga nangangailangan,” he said before the blessing rites. “This facility is a celebration of life.”

He then gave blessings to the doctor and all the midwives, nurses, and staff so that their hands may become “vessels of God’s loving assistance.”

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