Quezon City 1st District Rep. Arjo Atayde is pushing to upgrade the Quezon City General Hospital into a medical center and increase its bed capacity from 250 to 500 beds.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized how much we need hospitals and other health facilities to safeguard our well-being. Malaking bagay ang pagpapalaki ng QCGH para masigurong mas marami pang mamamayan mula sa lungsod at maging sa karatig-bayan ang mapaglingkuran,” Atayde said.
Atayde also said that the effort to improve the QCGH is being done with an eye on the future.
The upgrade of the Quezon City General Hospital is among the first six bills that Atayde has filed in Congress.
Aside from the increase in bed capacity, the neophyte lawmaker’s House Bill No. 458 also seeks to supplement and modernize the QCGH’s facilities. The measure would also rename the institution the Quezon City General Hospital and Medical Center (QCGHMC).
According to Atayde, the bed capacity of all government hospitals in Quezon City is less than 6,000, which he considers a paltry figure considering the city has a population of 2.9 million as of 2020.
“While doubling the bed capacity of the QCGH will not greatly improve the bed capacity to population ratio, it will be a significant step in the right direction and it will enable QCGH to provide quality health services to many of our countrymen who are not able to afford to go to private hospitals,” he said in his bill’s explanatory note.
Atayde also said that the effort to improve the QCGH is being done with an eye on the future.
“Kailangang maghanda na tayo para sa susunod na pandemya dahil hindi naman naghihintay ang sakit bago ito tumira. Ayaw na nating maulit pa ang mahabang pilahan at pagtataboy sa mga tao dahil hindi na kayang tumanggap pa ng ospital ng bagong pasyente,” he said.
The solon expressed confidence that his fellow representatives from Quezon City will support his proposal.
The solon expressed confidence that his fellow representatives from Quezon City will support his proposal.
“Para sa buong lungsod naman ito at hindi lang sa isang distrito, kaya kumpyansa tayong tutulong sila sa pagsulong ng panukalang ito,” said Atayde.
