A SIX-STORY building that will house children stricken with cancer will soon rise in Quezon City.
Vice President Jejomar Binay, an advocate of children with cancer, led the groundbreaking ceremonies of the soon-to-rise Pediatric Cancer Center inside the compound of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) on Thursday.
“Ang ina ko po ay namatay sa sakit na kanser,” was the short answer of Binay in an interview when asked why he decided to become an advocate in the fight against cancer in children.
“We should help these children. We should give them the chance to live a full life. Together we can do more,” Binay said.
Binay said he knows how painful it is to bear for the family of a child with cancer for it will test their patience.
He also stressed that it will be considered as “injustice” if one who suffers from such illness cannot be provided with treatment or cannot find means to afford it.
The Pediatric Cancer Center will have a 100-bed capacity and will be the newest structure inside the compound of PCMC.
However, owing to limited funds, only the first three floors of the building with a capacity of 50 beds will be finished by middle of this year. It will almost double PCMC’s present capacity of 30 beds in its existing cancer ward.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona, on the other hand, said the future Pediatric Cancer Center will lead the way in treating children with cancer. The DOH has committed P25 million for the construction of the building.
Meanwhile, PCMC Executive Director Julius Lecciones said that the DOH has designated the PCMC to be one of the implementers of the government’s National Center for Pharmaceutical Access and Management (NCPAM) program, which provides free chemotherapy drugs to indigent patients.
PCMC, as the national end referral center for childhood cancer, is helping out in the training of health-care professionals caring for pediatric cancer patients for all the 13 identified satellite hospitals in five regional catchment areas all over the country. It also provides technical advice to them in setting up their pediatric oncology regional referral units.
“The battle against pediatric cancer is huge. We need the support of everyone—from government agencies to private companies, down to families and individuals,” Lecciones said.
