EJERCITO PUSHES FOR UPGRADING OF MINDANAO CENTRAL SANITARIUM

SENATOR Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito underscored the urgent need to upgrade the health facilities of the Mindanao Central Sanitarium (MCS) in Pasobolong, Zamboanga City to efficiently cater to the needs of the people in the region. Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, had authored Senate Bill 1963, an act upgrading the Mindanao Central Sanitarium into a tertiary hospital, increasing its bed capacity for general care services to 300. “This is the most opportune time to increase the MCS’ bed capacity from 1,200 to 1,500 beds in order to conform with the policy of the State to provide quality and efficient health care service, in relation to the national government’s health care agenda,” Ejercito stressed. MCS is a Department of Health- retained hospital with an authorized bed capacity of 450 beds. Under the Sanitaria Conversion Plan, the MCS will be implementing 275 beds, that is 225 beds for custodial care and 50 beds for general services with secondary capabilities.