DAGUPAN CITY - The Department of Health - Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) 1 (Ilocos region) has turned over a mobile clinic to the city government to provide residents access to quality health care.

In a statement issued on Friday, Mayor Belen Fernandez said the City Health Office would use the mobile clinic, along with the city's dental health bus, for the conduct of medical and dental health caravans in 31 barangays.

"Some of the services the mobile clinic provides include X-rays and basic laboratory tests, such as complete blood count, urinalysis, fasting blood sugar," she said.

The DOH-CHD-1 handed over the mobile clinic to the city on August 24.

Fernandez thanked the DOH's continued support in providing quality facilities and equipment as part of the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC).

DOH-CHD-1 Director, Dr. Paula Paz Sydiongco, said the mobile clinic would bring health care services even in the city remotest areas.

The DOH has previously chosen this city as one of the 33 cities and provinces in the country as advanced implementation sites of the UHC, which aims to provide every Filipino with the highest possible quality of care that is accessible, efficient, equitably distributed, adequately funded, fairly financed, and appropriately used by an informed and empowered public.

The city government is targeting about 50,000 indigents and their dependents, and other vulnerable sectors for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama (KonSulTa) program.

KonSulTa aims to strengthen preventive care among all Filipinos and serves as a transitional phase or "gateway" toward a comprehensive outpatient benefit as mandated by UHC law.

This city is the first local government unit in the Ilocos region to implement the KonSulTa program following its status as a UHC implementation site.

The Dagupan City Health Office in barangay Herrero-Perez is the first DOH-licensed primary care facility and the accredited KonSulTa provider in the region.

PhilHealth Circular 2022-0005 sets the implementing guidelines for the PhilHealth KonSulTa package to expand the primary care benefit to cover all Filipinos. (PNA)