About 23 of the 27 Rural Health Units (RHU) in this province have been issued licenses to operate as Primary Care Facility (PCF), the Provincial Department of Health Officer (PDOHO) here said Wednesday.

“A PCF license is a requirement because it would mean the facility is compliant with the requirement that ensures it can provide the basic services and supplies needed by the patients without the need to be referred to a higher level facility,” said Dr. Lilibeth Martin, Development Management Officer IV and the PDOHO chief.

Martin said this capacity is mandated under the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law.

She said that while operation of RHUs have been devolved to the local government units (LGUs), the DOH continues to provide technical assistance, equipment, supplies, and funding for facility enhancement projects that will help financially hard-up local government units cope with the demands of the UHC.

This week, the DOH turned over to the municipalities of Lacub, Tayum, Licuan Baay, Danglas, Tubo, Luba, Malibcong and Lapaz RHUs package containing medicines, automatic blood pressure apparatus, pulse oximeter, stethoscope, complete delivery set, dental instruments, fetal Doppler, nebulizer, ECG equipment, among others.

Also released were barangay (village) health station (BHS) package containing numerous medical supplies.

In May, the DOH also released to the same municipalities a furniture package composed of mechanical beds, delivery bed, IV stand, medicine and medical supply cabinet, and cot beds, among others.

Personnel augmentation was also done.

Out of the 181 PDOHO-Abra personnel, a total of 151 nurses, midwifes, and doctors to the barrios have been deployed to the municipalities upon the request of the municipalities.

Martin said only the capital town, Bangued, is a first class municipality in the province while over 80 percent belongs to the 4th to 6th class municipality classification.

“Admittedly, most of our municipalities have a difficulty providing their needs even hiring personnel that is why the DOH continues to help them to ensure that by 2026 our health facilities are capacitated to provide services to the people with ease,” the doctor said. (PNA)