Senate approves several bills creating, upgrading hospitals

The Senate building at the GSIS Complex in Pasay City (Photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Senate has approved on Tuesday several bills seeking to create, rename and upgrade hospital facilities to enhance the delivery of basic health services.

According to Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito, chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, the passage of Senate Bill No. 1586 would pave way to the establishment of a new hospital in Region XII.

“The bill seeks to establish the Soccsksargen General Hospital in the municipality of Surallah, South Cotabato to improve access to medical services and a modem health facility for the 4.11 million Filipinos in Region XII,” Ejercito said in a statement.

Ejercito pointed out that Soccsksargen – composed of South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City – or Region 12 located in Central Mindanao “currently has no regional health facility of its own.”

While the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center is in Cotabato City, Ejercito said it mostly serves patients from Maguindanao, causing patients from some parts of Region 12 to travel to Davao City for special medical attention “due to distance and security concerns.”

Ejercito then cited a feasibility study conducted by the Region 12 office of the Department of Health-Center for Health Development (CHD) which recommended the establishment of a separate regional health facility in the area.

The study said that the establishment of the Soccsksargen General Hospital would result in reduced morbidity, lower mortality and savings in terms of medical expenses in the region.

Senate also passed Senate Bill No. 1649, also introduced by Ejercito, which seeks to upgrade the Bataan Provincial Hospital into a level three teaching and training hospital and would also change its name to Bataan General Hospital.

The growing population of Bataan necessitates an upgrade of the Bataan Provincial Hospital to better serve its constituents, Ejercito said.

Senate also approved the passage of Senate Bill No. 1654, which seeks to convert the Bicol Sanitarium in Camarines Sur into a geriatric and general medical center.

Sen. Francis Escudero, who introduced the bill, said the Department of Health had ordered the expansion of all existing sanitaria, including the Bicol Sanitarium, because of the decline in leprosy cases nationwide.

“The conversion of the Bicol Sanitarium into a geriatric and general medical center to be known as the Bicol Regional Geriatric Medical Center aims to provide quality, affordable, accessible, comprehensive and exceptional geriatric healthcare, including other health care services to the other members of the population, particularly in the Bicol Region,” the bill said.

The bill also called for the upgrading of the hospital’s facilities and professional health care services through increasing its bed capacity to 450 as well as increasing the number of its medical personnel.

The Senate also approved on third and final reading the following measures:

• House Bill No. 639, which seeks to establish a district hospital in Santa Elena, Camarines Norte
• House Bill No. 1955, which seeks to increase the bed capacity of the Rizal Medical Center in Pasig City from 300 to 500 beds
• House Bill No. 2849, which seeks to increase the bed capacity of the Veterans Regional Hospital in Bayombong, Nueva Ecija from 200 to 500 beds as well as upgrade its services, facilities, professional health care, increase its medical personnel and change its name to Region II Trauma and Medical Center

Following are the other bills that have passed:

• House Bill No. 4274, which seeks to upgrade the Southern Isabela General Hospital in Santiago City, Isabel into a tertiary general hospital to be known as the Southern Isabela Medical Center;
• House Bill No. 5880, which seeks to upgrade the Amai Pakpak Medical Center in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur
• House Bill NBo. 6389, which seeks to upgrade the services and facilities of the La Union Medical Center in Agoo, La Union by increasing its bed capacity to 300 beds and establishing a trauma center
• House Bill No. 6619, which seeks to increase the bed capacity of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center from 500 to 800 beds
• House Bill No. 6711, which seeks to upgrade the Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center Extension Hospital in Talavera, Nueva Ecija to a level II hospital and increasing its bed capacity from 50 to 100 beds to be known as the Talavera General Hospital
• House Bill No. 6294, which seeks to increase the bed capacity of the Biliran Provincial Hospital in its proposed relocation site in Barangay Larrazabal, Naval, Biliran from 75 to 200 beds
• House Bill No. 6311, which seeks to increase the bed capacity of the Narra Municipal Hospital in Narra, Palawan from 10 to 100 beds and naming it as the Governor Alfredo Mendoza Abueg, Sr. Memorial Hospital
• House Bill No. 6618, which seeks to establish a 100-bed capacity hospital in Barangay Habay 2 in Bacoor, Cavite to be known as the Bacoor District Hospital
• House Bill No. 6620, which seeks to increase the bed capacity of St. Anthony Mother and Child Hospital in Cebu City from 25 to 100
• House Bill No. 6740, which seeks to upgrade the Labuan Public Hospital in Zamboanga City into a level II hospital to be known as the Labuan General Hospital, increasing its bed capacity for general care services to 100 beds.

–Syrah Vivien Inocencio / INQUIRER.net intern

/atm