House OKs bill to raise VSMMC’s bed capacity

CEBU, Philippines - The House of Representatives has passed a proposed bill seeking to increase the bed capacity of Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

House Bill 5276, authored by Cebu City North District Rep. Raul del Mar, seeks to increase VSMMC’s current bed capacity of 800 to 1,200 beds.

Del Mar said that the approved bill was already submitted to the Senate on December 17, 2014.

The measure is an amendment to Republic Act No. 8658 which also increased the hospital’s capacity from the original 400 beds to its current 800 bed capacity.

Statistical data revealed that over the past 10 years, the occupancy rate of the hospital has been steadily increasing from 100 percent to 121.95 percent.

“Because of the increasing cost of medical care in private hospitals and the lack of facilities and services in government district hospitals, more and more patients flock to VSMMC,” del Mar said.

Del Mar said the VSMMC is the biggest government-run medical center in Central Visayas which does not only served patients from Metro Cebu and the cities and the provinces of the region but also serves patients from neighboring regions in the Visayas and Mindanao.

“Although the VSMMC has continued to evolve and improve its basic and tertiary health care services responsive to the changing need of the community, its present capacity, however, will prevent the Medical Center from serving its increasing number of patients, which in effect defeat the very purpose of providing universal health care to as many patients as possible,” he added.

Under the bill, the amount necessary to carry out the provisions shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law and thereafter.

The Department of Health is directed to implement the law.

Both the House committees on health and appropriations recommended for the approval of del Mar’s bill on December 11, 2014.  (FREEMAN)