PB OKs hospital upgrade in Bogo

 CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu provincial hospital in Bogo City has been upgraded into a level 2 referral medical center from its level 1 status.

The Cebu Provincial Board passed a resolution Monday upgrading the Severo M. Verallo Provincial Hospital to a 200-bed capacity from the present 100-bed facility. Based on the Department of Health classification standards, a level 2 hospital should have completed the basic requirements for a second-level facility; have departmentalized clinical services; and have operational respiratory unit, general intensive care unit, high-risk-pregnancy unit, neonatal intensive care unit, tertiary clinical laboratory, blood station, and a second-level x-ray with mobile unit.

 The upgrade is aimed at meeting the growing medical needs of the city as well as of its neighboring municipalities.

  "Due to the reclassification of the Cebu provincial and district hospitals into primary care facilities, critical hospital services were curtailed resulting to increased numbers of maternal and infant deaths, and deaths resulting from vehicular incidents," Board Member Horacio Franco said.

 Franco and Board Member Christopher Baricuatro, chairman of the committee on health and social services, co-authored the resolution. 

Franco said the "poor" huge networks in the province remain a big factor to difficulty in accessing the tertiary level medical centers, which are only available in Cebu City. Bogo City is around 99 kilometers away from Cebu City.

 The concern has been gradually addressed by the Provincial Health Office by strategically placing medical centers away from Cebu City.

"Such strategy will significantly decrease referrals in Cebu City, in effect lowering the maternal and infant mortality rates and decrease other causes of deaths in the northern side of the province. Such cases can already readily be addressed with the improved medical access," Franco said.

 He added that Bogo City can now provide quality health services.

 Provincial Health Office chief Dr. Rene Catan said the upgrade is vital for the establishment of blood centers in the province to help address deaths due to blood loss.

He also said the province's hospitals are only designed to admit 50 patients but are actually accepting 100 or more patients.

 Moreover, Catan said they are tapping officials and government agencies to fund for the improvement of Bogo Provincial Hospital. At present, he said the DOH pledged to give P30 million and Senator Risa Hontiveros, chair of the Senate committee on health, assured the province for additional hospital funding.

 Franco said it has always been the thrust of the provincial government to "provide adequate access to efficient and effective basic health services to its constituents."

 "In order to ensure the delivery of quality health services to the people, it is essential to develop healthcare facilities in the province, "he said.

The PHO aims to develop the other provincial hospitals located in the cities of Danao and Carcar and Balamban town into medical centers before the second term of Governor Hilario Davide III ends in 2019.

 However, the provincial government needs at least P2.5 billion to upgrade all its provincial hospitals. (FREEMAN)