General Santos City – It started as a Barangay Health Center under the Lagao RHU. Today, it is known as the Baluan Rural Health Unit and is the 78th community health center refurbished by SM Foundation.
Located in Barangay Baluan, one of the 26 barangays that comprised General City, the RHU also hosts the 205th FTS Wellness Center.
Through the years, the increase in the barangay’s population demands on the health center also grew. To ensure that essential health services will be continuously provided by the local health center, Ordinance No. 32 was enacted in 2015 integrating the Baluan Health Center and the Baluan Community Lying-in. Thus, the integrated facility was established on March 15, 2000 and renamed Baluan Rural Health Unit.
Its coverage area aside from Baluan includes Barangays Ligaya and Buayan. Baluan has a projected population of 12,464 while Ligaya and Buayan has 7.030 and 12,079, respectively. Monthly, the estimated number of consultations is 735. The RHU was able to log 658 immunizations from January-May; while 3,194 availed of the family planning services for the same period.
The RHU was previously located beside the barangay hall. In 2023, when a new barangay hall was constructed, the RHU was relocated to the old barangay hall which was more spacious.
Baluan RHU head Dr. Roland Basmillo recounted how their former buildings weren’t equipped to handle the growing population’s needs. Patients had no proper waiting area, often enduring the sun or rain, or even leaving without receiving care. “The old building was not that sufficient for the services being offered by a health center.”
For its manpower complement, the RHU has 23 staff composed of medical officer, nurses, midwives, medical technologist & other healthcare workers, and administrative officers being paid by the DOH and local government unit; and barangay health and nutrition workers being paid by the barangay.
Last month, aligned with its advocacy to help community health centers deliver quality healthcare through the improvement of health facilities, SM Foundation turned over a refurbished RHU to Barangay Baluan. SM Foundation renovated the entire RHU building as the old building was no longer adequate to meet increasing demands and as the structure was beginning to show signs of wear and tear. It is also aligned with SM Foundation’s commitment to help communities in GIDAS (Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas) that are commonly inhabited by IP communities. The barangay is home to members of the B’laan IP community, among other residents and the barangay’s name traces its roots to a B’laan term which refers to a creek.
The refurbished RHU now has an animal bite treatment room, an enhanced TB DOTS program, a laboratory for diagnostic tests, and a pharmacy. A room where minor surgery can be performed was also allocated. This is an important addition to the RHU as Barangay Baluan is accident-prone. Both the animal bite and treatment room and the minor surgical room will help reduce referrals to health facilities outside the barangay.
During the event, SM Foundation launched the first SM DigiKonsulta which aims to help the center hold virtual consultations, create patients’ electronic medical record (EMR), and enroll them to PhilHealth Konsulta. Two laptops were donated to the health center for the digitization of patients’ health records benefitting 31,573 residents of Barangay Baluan
