United Laboratories Inc. (Unilab) continues to widen the coverage of its social advocacy for primary healthcare, with the pharmaceutical and health care firm formalizing its partnership with Gawad Kalinga (GK) and the Caloocan City Health Department for their joint project in Bagong Silang.

The three parties established a fully functional community health satellite clinic now known as GK-Unilab-Caloocan City Satellite Health Center in the area.

Under the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that was signed by Caloocan City Health Officer Dr. Raquel So-Sayo, GK-Caloocan area head Jaime Barto-lome and Unilab Senior Vice President Jose Maria Ochave, the three parties committed their manpower and resources in the operation and maintenance of the GK-Unilab-Caloocan City Satellite Health Center.

“For us, this is the real public-private partnership, everyone gives his share. This is why Unilab has its social partnership group, to support these types of project which accord full respect to the beneficiaries,” Ochave said.

The Caloocan City Health Department will manage the operation of the satellite health center and deliver health services by detailing staff to provide medical consultations, prenatal checkup, post partum services, extended program for immunization, family planning counseling, treatments under the National Tuberculosis Program, and others. It will also maintain the facility and its equipment, plus provide medicines and other medical supplies.

Gawad Kalinga, on the other hand, will provide the space for the health center, mobilize GK health volunteers to support the implementation of the health services in the community, assist in the maintenance of the facility and in the identification and implementation of community health initiatives.

Unilab, for its part, will provide assistance for the improvement and renovation of the satellite health center, extend other health services outside of those being given by the city, identify prospective health ini-tiatives and provide support for their successful imple-mentation, and assist in training the GK health volunteers.

Unilab is using part of the funds allocated by Unilab Active Health (ULAH), a program of the company that advocates health and wellness by organizing activities such as Run United, TriUnited and Bike United to help families live a healthy and fit lifestyle. GK has been the beneficiary of all ULAH events since 2011.

Ochave and Dr. So-Sayo share the belief that primary healthcare and prevention should be the focus in the Philippines if the country is to fully address its healthcare concerns.

“With this project, we hope to create a model that is replicable and can be expanded with the support of the community. Once we have created the model, we can say that ‘yes, it can be done.’

Unilab is a Filipino company so we want to care of Filipinos. That is the direction that our founder and existing shareholders had always wanted us to take, and we know we can help best in the area of primary care,” Ochave said.

Dr. So-Sayo said taking the paradigm shift from clinical to primary healthcare at the community level will be easier if pursued through active partnership among government, civic and private institutions.

“This partnership is more intact and long-lasting. We already built the structure so this is already life-time. We will make the GK Satellite Health a full-fledged health center in one year,” Dr. So-Sayo said.