New gadgets give gov’t hospitals in Pangasinan the cutting edge

MANILA, Philippines - More and more mothers in Pangasinan prefer to give birth in government hospitals than through the self-style community midwives.

Records show that the volume of deliveries at the pediatric wards of the 14 government hospitals in Pangasinan rose from 18 percent in 2006 to 43.3 percent in 2011.

This partiality for doctor-assisted delivery was born out of the much-improved medical and health care services offered by the 14 government hospitals in the province, courtesy of the provincial government under the stewardship of Gov. Amado Espino Jr.

A case in point is the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital (PPH) in San Carlos City which is close to becoming a medical center capable of accommodating larger volumes of patients and treating more complicated illnesses.

“With their upgraded diagnostic capabilities, manned by a highly motivated team of doctors, specialists and health care workers, all of our hospitals are now operating way beyond their approved bed capacities,” Espino said.

On a yearly basis, the patient volume rose from 159,000 in 2006 to 463,000 in 2011.

“My legacy will be defined by the quality of health care services we deliver to the people of Pangasinan,” Espina said.

Espino pointed out that health care is one of his priority agenda because he believes that the poor should have more in state services. “Poor patients need government intervention the most,” he said.

All 14 government hospitals in Pangasinan have undergone major changes from state of sheer neglect and seeming indifference to poor patients due to apparent lack of concern by previous political leaders of the province.

The Pangasinan Provincial Hospital in 2006 (top) was a pathetic sight of neglect and disrepair. Above: The new PPH is now a beauty to behold, inside and outside.

After Espino took over the provincial government in 2007, he buckled down to save the 14 state-run hospitals in the province from disrepair and mismanagement.

These medical facilities underwent massive renovation and reforms, including acquisition of new and sophisticated gadgets as well as recruitment of more workers to cope with unprecedented increases in patient admission.

Dr. Policarpio Manuel, PPH assistant chief, said Espino was hands-on in the renovation work, himself drawing the plans and monitoring progress of the projects, sometimes coming in for a visit in the wee hours of the morning.

Manuel said the changes started with the lighting system followed by the concreting of the pathways. The buildings followed suit.

All told, the entire PPH consists of 21 buildings equipped with no less than 120 air-conditioning units. One of the facilities houses 14 dialysis machines, making the hospital the “most modern and most unique” of its kind in the country.

There are also 42-inch LCD television sets to entertain the patients while undergoing the dialysis tests, or waiting for their turn at the gadgets, hence there is no chance for them to be impatient.

The new PPH, with an approved bed capacity of 150, has been attending to as many as 480 patients daily, Manuel said.

Manuel said the reforms have inspired the whole PPH staff and support personnel to be more dedicated to their jobs, and more responsive to the needs of the patients.

He could only express regrets that he is now at the twilight of his career, and would be missing much of the blessings that came to the hospital after he retires.

Annual government subsidy to the public hospitals also grew from P140 million in 2006 to P317.5 million last year.

In addition to the allocations from the provincial capitol, Pangasinan also received some P387 million in grants from the Department of Health (DOH), the European Commission, and other agencies, including the USAID, from 2007 to 2011.

The hospital upgrading program was complemented by an aggressive expansion of PhilHealth coverage, making Pangasinan a top performer in this field.

As of last count, there are now 295,422 certified indigent families in Pangasinan already insured in PhilHealth. The figure included last year’s new enrollees sponsored by the DOH’s National Household Targeting System.

Owing to these positive developments, Espino expressed confidence that the poorest of the poor among his constituents can now avail themselves of quality healthcare services.

Meanwhile, the community-based Botika ng Bayan also kept expanding its coverage from 273 in 2007 to 691 outlets as of last year.

Espino said Pangasinan has been adjudged National Champion in children nutrition in 2009, and the lowest malnutrition rate of 4.16 percent in 2010 in Region 1.