Kalinga PHO partners with CVMC to further improve its health system

Tabuk City, Kalinga - Ikalingas will soon benefit from enhanced healthcare services that are more accessible, equitable, and comprehensive as the Provincial Government, through its Provincial Health Office, partners with the Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC).

Situated in Carig Sur, Tuguegarao City, CVMC is the largest government medical facility in region II which offers a wide range of health and medical services no regular hospitals can provide.

The collaboration between the two parties was made official after their signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Thursday, December 19, 2024. 

Governor James Edduba, CVMC Medical Center Chief Dr. Cherry Lou Antonio, and Kalinga Provincial Health Officer Dr. Edward B. Tandingan are among those who attended the MOA signing and finalized the partnership. 

According to its report, the Department of Health—Kalinga said that this partnership is made to further strengthen the Universal Health Care (UHC) program in the province.

UHC aims to make sure that everyone has quality health care access without the hindrance of huge financial burden. UHC includes those within the poverty line. 

The signing of the MOA between Kalinga Health Office and the CVMC marked the start of a new collaborative effort that is aimed at making the services of the health-care sector in the province stronger and accessible to all iKalingas.

Capacity-building programs, collaborative health system strengthening, and general health delivery are further emphasized in the MOA. 

The MOA further states that CVMC shall be the "APEX" hospital for Kalinga. It means that CVMC shall be the main referral hospital for complex and specialized cases that are beyond the capability of local health facilities in the province. 

All these actions fall within the scope of what the UHC Act, or Republic Act No. 11223 envisions in terms of the equitable distribution of quality health care for every Filipino.

 With the agreement, the health care system of Kalinga is now ready to experience integrated and comprehensive service delivery that will contribute to the bigger goal of universal health coverage.