PIA Press Release
Wednesday, January 04, 2012 Cancer center in Mindanao to operate soonby Mai Gevera-MacapagatDAVAO CITY, Jan. 4, PIA -- Health assistant secretary Romulo Busuego bared Mindanao’s preparedness to accommodate treatment of any kind of cancer diseases. In yesterday’s Club 888 at Marco Polo Davao, the official said the health facility located at the Davao Regional Hospital (DRH) is a dream come true as it is next to Manila’s St. Luke’s Medical Center capable to accept surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments for cancer cases. “It is here that we offer linear accelerator treatment, the type better than cobalt treatment because it is more refined than the latter. This results to lesser complications because other normal tissues are not targeted, “he said. The center is first in Mindanao eyeing to accommodate 10 to 15 cancer patients a day. Busuego, who was formerly the chief of hospital of the Davao Regional Hospital (DRH) hinted how difficult it had been for his team to build and establish this cancer center. The building itself costs P23 million while the equipments purchased for the cancer treatments are worth P134 million. “ The facility is now ready for operation but we are just waiting for a schedule when President Aquino himself can symbolically beam on the button for that linear accelerator,” Busueago added. Since the center operates as an outpatient care, very limited personnel are needed to handle medical cases. It has three radiotherapists, one physician, one janitorial staff, and a nurse. Busuego bared plans of making the center a non-socialized but affordable cancer center. In order to sustain its operation, as a former chief of hospital he stresses the need to have patients pay for every treatment availed. After establishing the said infrastructure, Busuego also hopes to come up with a nuclear medicine as part of the center which he envisions to be achieved through private-public partnership. (PIA/Mai Gevera-Macapagat) | 
