Senate passes Go’s hospital bills

TWO days before it would adjourn sine die, THE SENATE APPROVED ON SECOND READING SEVEN LOCAL HOSPITAL BILLS SPONSORED BY SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go.

The measures all seek to further improve the delivery of medical and healthcare services.

The measures aim to establish the Bicol Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Camarines Sur; and to further capacitate the Quirino Memorial

Medical Center in Quezon City, the Las Piñas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center in Las Piñas City, the Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City, the Siargao District Hospital in Surigao del Norte, the Malita District

Hospital in Davao Occidental, and the Cagayan Valley Medical Center in Cagayan.

Earlier, Go, who heads the Senate health and demography committee, highlighted the need to act urgently on local hospital measures given the ongoing coronavirus disease 0219 ( Covid- 19) pandemic.

In his sponsorship speech, he cited data from 2018 which revealed that almost 65 percent or 284 out of 437 public hospitals were over their limit in terms of bed capacity and patient admittance.

“This included 51 or 73 percent of our DoH (Department of Health) hospitals,” Go said.

The senator lamented that overcrowding in provincial hospitals had become more pronounced because of the global health crisis.

“As we face the Covid-19 pandemic, it is crucial to improve our government health facilities,” he said.

If passed into law, Go assured the measures would boost the capacity of hospitals, especially in the provinces.

He said they would complement the Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pagasa Program of the government by ensuring quality healthcare access to Filipinos in the countryside.

“We aim to capacitate our government hospitals, especially in the provinces. This is also in line with the Balik Probinsiya initiative of the government,” Go said.

“Improving health capacity and upgrading capability of hospitals in the provinces would help enhance the health and overall wellbeing among the entire Philippine population,” he added.

The senator also thanked his colleagues for their support for these measures, saying that such initiatives would enhance the capabilities of government hospitals across the country to look after the well-being of the people.

“It is our duty as legislators to enact measures that would help address the lack of appropriate facilities and equipment in our government hospitals, most especially in these crucial times,” Go said.