Go sponsors bills upgrading public hospitals

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate has been called to act on bills upgrading public hospitals throughout the country to improve health care services and capacitate localities in battling the pandemic.

In his sponsorship speech last Monday, Sen. Bong Go said the need to improve public health services is particularly important in the provinces where public hospitals lack beds and equipment.

“Sometimes, patients have to occupy corridors,” said Go, who chairs the Senate committee on health. “Now that we have a pandemic, the lack of hospital beds, particularly ICU (intensive care unite) beds, is a problem,” he added in Filipino.

Among the bills upgrading government health facilities sponsored by Go during the session were increasing bed capacity of the Sinait District Hospital in Sinait, Ilocos Sur; lying-in clinic in Rizal, Palawan; Naguilian District Hospital in La Union; Rosario District Hospital in Rosario, La Union; East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City; and the Mayor Hilarion A. Ramiro Sr. Medical Center in Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental.

He also sponsored bills converting the Schistosomiasis Control and Research Hospital in Palo, Leyte into the Governor Benjamin T. Romualdez General Hospital and Schistosomiasis Center, and increase its bed capacity; renaming the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City into the Eastern Visayas Medical Center and increasing its bed capacity; converting the Medina Extension Hospital in Medina, Misamis Oriental into a general hospital; upgrading the Lanao del Norte Provincial Hospital into the Lanao del Norte Regional Medical Center; and upgrading the Benguet General Hospital.

Go also sponsored bills establishing more government hospitals, such as the Eastern Pangasinan Regional Medical and Trauma Center, the Davao Occidental General Hospital, the Neptali Gonzales General Hospital in Mandaluyong City and the Bacolod City General Hospital.

“Improving health capacity and upgrading capability of hospitals in the provinces would help enhance the health and overall well-being for the entire Philippine population,” the senator said.