Local hospital bills pass Senate 2nd reading

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate approved on second reading proposed measures sponsored by Sen. Bong Go, increasing the bed capacities of 13 local hospitals.

Go, chair of the Senate committee on health, sponsored 13 bills aimed at improving, developing and establishing public hospitals in different parts of the country.

“We have worked hard to pass it on for the sake of our poor kababayans,” Go said.

He said the pandemic has made the government more cognizant of the need to capacitate and improve our public health facilities.

“Especially in the provinces where health facilities are really in short supply. As I traveled around the country, I saw for myself the lack of hospital beds and equipment. Sometimes patients in the hospital corridor are lying down. Our countrymen are in pitiful situation,” Go said.

He said the need to increase the bed capacity of most public hospitals has been a challenge during the public health crisis.

“In this pandemic, our problem is the lack of hospital beds, particularly ICU beds. We need to impose stricter community quarantine restrictions so that our health system can breathe,” he said.

“We also had to build temporary facilities and modular hospitals for COVID-19 cases. We do not want a repeat a situation where there are no more beds available for the sick. Our public hospitals must always be ready to serve patients,” he added.

It is for these reasons that Go stressed that improving health capacity and delivery in the provinces would help enhance the health and well-being of all Filipinos.

He said Filipinos must have easy access to responsive health care systems even in the provinces and rural areas.

As for the proposal to get the funds needed to implement the measures from the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund and the Pension and Gratuity Fund, Go said President Duterte might not agree with the suggestion.

“The PGF is for the retirement benefits of our government employees. The MPBF is for the salary for additional positions that will be created to better respond to the pandemic such as additional healthcare workers and staff positions for hospitals,” he said.

Go said that funds from the Health Facilities Enhancement Program of the DOH may be used instead for the upgrading and establishment of the hospitals.

Go’s proposed measures include bills increasing the bed capacity of Lying-in Clinic in Rizal Palawan; Naguilian District Hospital in Naguilian, La Union; Rosario District Hospital in Rosario, La Union; Sinait District Hospital in Sinait, Ilocos Sur; East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City, and the Mayor Hilarion A. Ramiro Sr. Medical Center in Misamis Occidental.