Senator and Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography Bong Go lauded President Rodrigo Duterte for signing into law 11 bills, which the former sponsored in the Senate, seeking to establish and improve Department of Health-run hospitals.
These measures will help improve the capacity of the public healthcare system in the respective communities to provide quality care and services to Filipinos, especially in the grassroots, and amid the ongoing global health crisis.
These include measures which will establish hospitals or upgrade existing ones in Abulug, Cagayan; Bocaue, Bulacan; Villanueva, Misamis Oriental; Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao; Cagayan de Oro City; Cebu City; Daraga, Albay; Jolo, Sulu; Santa Barbara, Iloilo; San Fernando City, La Union; and Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo.
“Sa pandemyang ito, nakita natin kung gaano kahalaga ang investment sa kalusugan. Nahirapan tayo noong umpisa ng pandemya dahil hindi natin binigyang pansin nitong nagdaang mga dekada ang pagpapalakas ng ating healthcare system capacity,” remarked Go, who is the principal author of the said measures.
“Bagama’t patuloy na bumababa ang mga bagong kaso ng COVID-19, kailangan pa rin nating maging handa.”
“Bagama’t patuloy na bumababa ang mga bagong kaso ng COVID-19, kailangan pa rin nating maging handa dahil hindi natin alam kung ilang pandemya pa o bagong variants ng COVID-19 ang darating. Huwag po nating hintayin na tuluyan nang bumigay ang healthcare system natin at malagay sa panganib ang buhay ng ating mga kababayan,” the legislator added.
In his previous interviews, the lawmaker shared that he personally witnessed the struggles that Filipinos across the country face just to seek medical treatment, recounting, “Saksi po ako sa kalagayan ng ating mga kababayan sa pag-iikot ko sa mga ospital sa buong bansa. Nakakapanlumo pong makita na iyong ibang pasyente nasa corridor po ng ospital dahil walang available na kama.”
“Some hospitals have already exceeded their bed occupancy rate with some reaching as high as 400%. Kawawa po ang kalagayan nila,” the senator continued.
Among the newly signed measures include Republic Act No. 11718 which establishes the Northwestern Cagayan General Hospital in Abulug; RA 11720 which establishes the Joni Villanueva General Hospital in Bocaue; RA 11721 which establishes the Northeastern Misamis General Hospital in Villanueva; RA 11715 which converts the Cotabato Sanitarium in Sultan Kudarat into the Cotabato Sanitarium and General Hospital and increases its bed capacity; RA 11716 which increases the bed capacity of the Northern Mindanao Medical Center in Cagayan de Oro City; RA 11717 which increases the bed capacity of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City; RA 11719 which converts the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital in Daraga into the Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center and increases its bed capacity; RA 11722 which converts the Sulu Sanitarium in Jolo into the Sulu Sanitarium and General Hospital; RA 11723 which converts the Western Visayas Sanitarium in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo into the Western Visayas Sanitarium and General Hospital and increases its bed capacity; RA 11724 which increases the bed capacity of the Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center in San Fernando City; and RA 11725 which converts the Don Jose S. Monfort Medical Center Extension Hospital in Barotac Nuevo into the Don Jose S. Monfort Medical Center and increases its bed capacity.
“The Senate Committee on Health will continue prioritizing the improvement of the healthcare system.”
Go reassured that the Senate Committee on Health will continue prioritizing the improvement of the healthcare system.
With him at the helm, the Senate Committee on Health has already earlier sponsored and facilitated the passage of 28 laws upgrading the existing and establishing new public hospitals across the country.
On April 19, Duterte signed into law four local hospital bills which establish hospitals or upgrade existing ones in Tayabas City, Quezon; Calbayog City, Samar; Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija; and Candon City, Ilocos Sur.
Go then reminded the concerned authorities to ensure the availability of funds for the upgrade and establishment of the hospitals so that they will not turn out to be unfunded laws. He added that the national government and local government units must continue working together to provide funding for much-needed health services.
“Magtulungan po tayo para makapagbigay ng maayos na serbisyo sa ating mga kababayan,” he stressed.
“Asahan n’yo po na patuloy na magtatrabaho ang komiteng ito hanggang sa nalalabing araw ng Kongresong ito para ipaglaban ang pagpapalakas sa ating mga pampublikong ospital,” Go vowed.
