Stroke rehabilitation center opens in Barangay Tibungco, Davao City

Stroke survivors in Davao City's Barangay Tibungco can now get checkups and therapy closer to home after a community-based rehabilitation center for stroke patients was inaugurated there, according to the Daily Tribune.

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go and Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte led the opening. The event was held together with the blessing and turnover of the nearby Tibungco Super Health Center, which offers primary healthcare services to residents and is meant to bring consultations, diagnostic services and preventive care closer to communities.

Go, who is vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, said the rehabilitation facility would spare stroke survivors from having to travel to hospitals for their therapy and follow-up visits. Stroke can impair a person's movement, coordination and speech, and recovery often takes a long time and depends heavily on family members and caregivers.

The senator pointed to Republic Act 11959, the Regional Specialty Centers Act, which he principally authored and sponsored. The law requires Department of Health hospitals across the country to set up specialty centers offering services such as cardiovascular care, brain and spine care, and physical rehabilitation, with the aim of making advanced treatment more accessible and affordable.

In Davao City, the Southern Philippines Medical Center offers specialized cardiovascular services, and Go has backed the development of cardiac catheterization facilities there to expand its capacity for advanced heart and vascular procedures, the report said.

Go called for cooperation among the Department of Health, local governments, medical professionals and other stakeholders so that health facilities are properly equipped and staffed. He acknowledged the city government, local officials and health workers for supporting the expansion of community health services, and said he would keep supporting efforts to improve access to treatment and rehabilitation, especially for patients needing long-term care.