By Benjamin Cuaresma
SARRAT, Ilocos Norte — Healthcare access in this northern town has taken a major step forward with the expansion of the Sarrat Primary Care Facility, bringing laboratory testing, X-ray and ultrasound services within easier reach of residents.
The Department of Health (DOH)–Ilocos Region, in partnership with the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte and the Local Government Unit of Sarrat, inaugurated the new diagnostic services on September 11, backed by a ₱4.995-million investment under the DOH Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP).
The funding came from the General Appropriations Act of 2023 and was used to strengthen the facility’s capacity to provide essential diagnostic services at the primary-care level.
For residents of Sarrat and nearby municipalities, the expansion means routine laboratory procedures and medical imaging can now be accessed closer to home, reducing the need to travel outside the municipality for such services.
The upgraded facility is not limited to diagnostics.
The Sarrat PCF now has dedicated areas for its clinical laboratory, X-ray and ultrasound services, alongside an expanded outpatient department and a fully equipped emergency room designed to respond to urgent medical cases, including emergency maternal care.
Its accredited Animal Bite Treatment Center (ABTC), located in the basement, remains operational, providing rabies post-exposure prophylaxis and wound management to patients who require immediate treatment.
The facility is also moving toward establishing a licensed pharmacy on-site. Work is ongoing, with the planned pharmacy expected to make medicine dispensing more convenient for patients once operational.
The development underscores the role of cooperation between national and local government agencies in upgrading healthcare facilities and expanding access to essential services in Ilocos Norte.
The Sarrat PCF is fully operational and staffed by health professionals trained in primary care delivery.
The expansion is aligned with the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, which seeks to strengthen primary care and widen access to essential health services across the country.
With the new diagnostic capability now operating under one roof, Sarrat’s primary care system has gained additional capacity to address routine medical needs while maintaining emergency and other frontline services closer to the communities it serves.
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